After the End (A Zootopia Fanfiction)
by November the Bunny
Summary: Life is a beautiful thing, and Nick and Judy couldn't be happier sharing theirs together, now with their new triplets, Alex, Johanna and Peter. But, when duty calls once again, the two to Zootopian cops must face yet another difficult task related to the infamous James Todd and the Cleansing Case. Only this time, with the help of two special someones.
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Life is a beautiful thing, and Nick and Judy couldn't be happier sharing theirs together, now with their new triplets, Alex, Johanna and Peter. But, when duty calls once again, the two to Zootopian cops must face yet another difficult task related to the infamous James Todd and the Cleansing Case. Only this time, with the help of two special someones.

Coming December 2017.

Stay Tuned!


	2. Chapter 1: The Next Adventure

**Chapter 1: The Next Adventure**

* * *

The early morning climbed its way across the previous night sky with the welcoming of the sun. Each day its rays shone down on Zootopia with new adventures for everyone, embracing something different, something unique, something even better than yesterday. The grass was sweating with morning dew, drop by drop slides down each vibrant green blade to accompany the soil. The air streamed with the fresh smell of dawn, relaxing and rejuvenating, but at the same time stinging and tiring, calling the lazy back to the comforts of their warm beds. Now was not the time to think of slumber. At least for one of them.

The clock read seven thirty, and Judy still laid under the sheets in a deep sleep. Nick, on the other hand, was a different story. The fox pushed the door open with his back, holding in one paw a hot cup of coffee for, him, and in the other, a seeping cup of morning black tea for her.

He sets the mugs on the night stand and scooted over to his wife, his muzzle hovering just above her ear.

"Caaaaarrots." He whispered happily. She moaned, but did not stir. Nick shook her shoulder. "Come on, Carrots. Time to wake up. We've got some stuff to do today."

She pulled the covers closer to her body, trying to block her husband's voice out. "Mmmmm nuuuu."

He got on top of her and started bouncing the bed. After three bounces he leaned in closer again. "Come on Judy." No response from her.

"I'll lick you." He said as he opened his mouth, slightly sticking his tongue out. Judy stuck her paw out, and smushed Nick's muzzle in. His tongue met his nose.

Me moved back, wiping his face. He glared down at her as she snuggled deeper into the bed. Nick breathed in, and exhaled with a huff of impatience. "Alright, Mrs. Wilde. I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."

Nick got off the bed, and the room went quiet. Finally, some peace and quiet again. Judy grew easy again, and sunk back into the bed. But then, she felt something tickle her nose. Without even opening her eyes, she knew what it was, and a smile crept across her face. His little paws gripped at the sheets, and his tail hung limp. Judy finally opened her eyes and turned to see her son, Peter being held above her by Nick. She sat up and took the pup from his paws, giving him a sweet little kiss on the head.

"Oh, alright. I'll get up, but only for you my sweet little baby boy." Judy said in that baby talk all moms do before giving him five more kisses on the head.

Nick smiled as he went to the cribs to go get his other son, Alex, and his daughter, Johanna. He easily held the two bunnies in the crease of his arm as he threwback the last of his coffee.

The two of them brought the babies downstairs to the kitchen. As she finished the last bit if her tea, Judy laid Peter down so she could get breakfast, ready. Oatmeal for them, and three warm bottles for the babies.

As Nick began to dig in while feeding his son, his phone rang. He put the spoon back in the bowl and looked at the caller ID. He expected it to be his mom, since they were going to visit with her today. But instead, it was Chief Bogo.

Nick slid to the left with his paw pad and put the phone to his ear. "Hey Chief."

Judy's ear perked. The Chief? That's odd. Why was the calling the so early? Her hearing was so good, she didn't realize she was accidentally eavesdropping. She heard Bogo ask Nick to put the phone on speaker mode so he could talk to both of them.

"Morning Hopps." Bogo said.

"Morning Chief." She replied.

"Do you think you would be able to come in for a meeting today?" He asked.

"Oh, well Chief we actually have plans for today. Do you think we can come in a bit la-"

"Guys." Bogo interrupted. "It could be related to Todd."

The two froze and looked at each other. They both nodded.

"Okay, Chief. We'll be there in a little bit." Nick calmly replied before hanging up.

He put his phone on the counter and stated at Judy. She picked Peter back up and placed the bottle in his mouth. She went over and hugged him. Nick held onto his kits as he breathed in the scent of his beloved wife.

James Todd. One of the first terrorists gang leaders in Zootopia in over a century. He led the heinous crime group, The Cleansing with an iron fist, and was responsible for hundreds of innocent deaths. Including Nick's named father, Mr. Big, and almost his son, Peter.

If it weren't for a very special bunny. Not Judy, but a friend of hers. Billy Christopher Stride. A long time grind and once lover, a rich entrepreneur and CEO of Carrot Top Industries. But more commonly known by the citizens of Zootopia as 'The Savior.'

He did have his bad sides, Judy would not deny that, as he was The first to join James's God forsaken alliance, and scraped up her and her husband in an all, with a few of his members. The only difference, is that he knew what he had done, and he realized his mistakes. Billy joined out of blind anger, and this was The price to pay for it.

In his will, given to his company partner and close friend, he left a large portion of money to be given to help the two cops with any and all medical expenses, as well as to greatly pay off the mortgage on any house in their future.

Billy knew he had to be The one to end it. After all that James did, he had to be The one to stop him, even if it meant he would go down with him. A statue was erected in his honor for ending the killing spree of the deranged James Todd. The Cleansing was no more. It was all over. Or so they thought until now.

Nick and Judy knew full well that there were animals, especially predators who took James's philosophy to heart. Liberate the police force and the so-called tyranny of the government. Tear it down, and rebuild it in their image.

It was a crazy plan. Nick remembered finding Todd's medical files. He was deemed mentally unstable even before he began The Cleansing, and his actions surely showed it. Vigilante justice, James called it, but it was not justice, it was anarchy. Ruling a government in your image and your image alone is not order. It's not democracy, it's communism, and James Todd was the dictator.

The only part that made it the worst of all for Nick and Judy is about who he was to them. James Todd was not just a criminal...

He was Nick's older brother.

United by blood. But after what he did to threaten his city he swore to protect, as well as his wife and his family. He was nothing but a distant memory and a monster to him.

Nick and Judy shook it from their minds with the sound of Alex's cries. He was all done with no bottle. Nick's smile came back, and he gently lifted The bunny over his shoulder and burped him. They both exhaled a sigh of reassurance.

Related to Todd or not, it wasn't Todd. He was dead. The immediate threat to their family was gone. Their babies were safe and sound in their arms. The two of them would never let anything happen to them, no matter what obstacle, great or small, they may face. The Wilde Family traveled up the stairs to exchange their casual clothes for their blue shirts and police badges. Nick texted his mom, letting her know their schedule would have to be bumped later in the day. They had a job to do.

* * *

The light refracted through the round façade of the massive windows of the Zootopia Police Department, glistening, illuminating the Central with its reassurance and protection. 'To Protect And To Serve.' A legacy created hundreds of years ago, still honored to this very day by those clad in blue shirts and a shiny gold badge. Officer Judy Hopps and Officer Nick Wilde. Two big parts in a unit to keep that legacy alive and true, now walking through the main entrance with their babies in the stroller.

As soon as they got in, The noticed that the front entrance was filled with what looked like every single officer in Zootopia. They filled the main hall, climbed up the stairs, and hung over the balcony near the Chief's usual podium standing at the front of it all.

"Morning Clawhauser!" Judy called walking past the front desk, pushing the baby stroller ahead of her. Nick simply ushered a wave as he followed the bunny. The cheetah turned his head from behind the doughnut box, two already in his mouth and two more in each paw. One flew across the counter as he waved back.

" _Mowmng wu_ guys!" He muttered through the sweet little breakfast rings.

The two made their way through the crowd to the front. Officers stepped aside to let them pass. Being the smallest animals still in the force, and having precious cargo with them, Nick and Judy always had VIP access to be at the front during any and all meetings.

Bogo came to the podium. All officers stood tall and saluted to their Chief. "At ease." He sternly stated. Everyone took their seats. "Thank you all for coming on such a short notice. We have something big ahead of us. A possible uprising of some rebels from the Cleansing Case. As you are all aware, their leader, James Todd is now dead, sought to by Billy Stride after they attempted to kidnap Officer Wilde and Hopps's son." All the officers fixed their attention to the couple in the front. Judy stared down at the floor, trying to forget the events of that night. Nick wrapped his arm around her and gave her shoulder a rub.

Peter began to whimper. Instinctively, Judy knew what was wrong. He was probably hungry. She reached under the stroller and pulled out a cloth. She didn't have time to pack bottles that morning. She pulled the pup out of the stroller and gave him to Nick so she could unbutton her shirt and loosen her tie. When she was ready, Nick have Peter back to her, and she snuck him under the cloth, so she could cover her exposure as she fed him. Peter's whimpers died down as he began sucking. The two looked back up at Bogo.

"The suspect's name is Jonathan Honey. He goes by Mr. Honey. He will be throwing a secret party in the Rainforest District. Wilde?"

The two looked up at Bogo. " You are one of the best undercover cops we've had, and considering the circumstances of the mission, we wanted to ask if you would like to be a part of it?"

Nick looked down at his son and daughter. The thought of the mission made him question. He was pulled between two ends. He wanted to help in the case that threatened his wife and his family, but at the same time, he wanted to stay and protect his family. There was no way after the incident he wanted to make sure he was with Judy and his babies. His decision was made final.

"I'll join." He stated.

"Then I'll come too." Judy spoke up.

"What?!" Nick and Bogo both said.

"Carrots, no. This case has hurt you and our family too much. This time I'm gonna take the blows."

"And you're on your maternity leave, Wilde."

Judy started with Nick. "Nick, anything we do, we do together. You know that. It's not James, it's just a suboordinate. I can help you with it."

Nick shifted his body to gave her. "But the babies?"

"Clawhauser can watch them. We both know he won't let anything happen to him."

"But...huuuuh" Nick rubbed his head and looked up at Chief. He just shrugged.

"Maternity leave or not, I already know she'll still take the case. This is on you, Wilde." Bogo said.

Nick looked at the ceiling drawn between two evils again, but this time, the decision was made much faster. Because he knew, even if he said no, he couldn't control his wife. She would still take the case. And she had a point. Clawhauser would not let anything happen to them, and knowing Clawhauser, he'd probably have a few more officers come over for extra company and security.

Her sighed. "Okay." He said, placing his free paw on her shoulder.

"We'll begin preparations immediately. The operation will be happening in five days. Be ready in four. Dismissed!" Bogo announced.

Everyone stood. Peter has finished drinking, so Judy pulled him out from underneath her shirt and handed him to Nick so she could redress herself. Nick gentle laid the pup over his shoulder and began patting his back. After about ten pats, Peter let out a loud burp. Nick chuckled as he set his baby back safely in the crease of his arm.

He looked back to Judy who has her uniform tidy again, though it was short lived as they both undid their toes and took off their utility belts. They were going shopping with Nick's mother, Clementine, and they did not feel like wearing their uniforms on their day off.

The family made their way back to their car. Once the babies were safely fastened in their seats, Nick and Judy made their way to the passenger seats. They both took off their badges. While she began unbuttoning her shirt, Nick went to the trunk to get their street clothes. He put his badge safely in his pocket as he swung the trunk door open. He had a plaid red shirt, while she had a pink one.

The Fox slipped off his dress shirt, leaving the white t-shirt underneath on. He climbed into the driver seat as he put his arm through the hole. He handed Judy her shirt, which she quickly put on and buttoned up.

With a text to Clementine that they would be at the store in fifteen minutes, they set off. They had the whole world to discover today, and what better way to do it, then to do it as a family?

* * *

 **Eyo Everybody!**

 **I've been in a rough patch in my life right now. So I figured giving you guys a little taste of what is to come would cheer me up! Please be sure to like and leave a review if you enjoyed!**

 **Seriously, leave a review please. I enjoy criticism from you guys. It helps me improve and make these more enjoyable to you all!**

 **Stay tuned for (hopefully) the full story in December!**

 **~November the Bunny**


	3. Chapter 2: A Broken Past A Mended Presen

**Chapter 2: A Broken Past, A Mended Present**

* * *

The aged vixen gently rocked the baby in the crease of her arm as she fed her the bottle. She smiled contently at her granddaughter as she sucked. Clementine was very happy for her son having found the love of his life, and even better getting to have a family with her. She was different then Judy's parents. While Bonnie and Stu were happy for Judy having a boyfriend, their nature made them skeptical of her having a fox for a mate. However, Clementine was very accepting of interracial and same-sex couples. She was happy for them having each other, but she admitted she was even happier having grandchildren. Especially a granddaughter.

The six of them made their way into the Woolmart, Judy and Clementine both having their lists. Clementine laid Johanna in her seat and Judy buckled her up with a kiss on her tiny forehead. Judy glanced down at their list while Nick pushed the buggy. Food, diapers, toiletries, and some props and candies for the upcoming Sunday. After all...

Sunday was Easter.

The biggest holiday in the Tri-Burrows, even bigger than Christmas. It would be the babies' first time to their grandparents' house, as well as the first time meeting their many uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Nick elevated the bottle to keep the milk flowing into Alex's mouth and pushed the buggy at the same time. He glanced at the shelves and took down one item after another that he needed. Judy tapped Nick's paw, gaining his attention. He looked down at his wife.

"I'm going to get a couple of things from the produce section." She said, smiling.

Nick smiled back. "Okay, hun."

Judy walked off the opposite way. She dragged her paw across his before finally letting go and heading to the produce section. That's when Nick noticed her mom looking at something she had pulled from her purse. It was photo.

Her face was stoic. He knew what she was looking at without having to see it. He walked up behind her, pulling the cart with him. The fox looked over his mother's shoulder. It was an old picture of her eldest son, James.

Nick sighed. He had no words he could say to comfort her. That's when she spoke up. "I know what you're thinking, Nick. I know he's gone. As a mother, I am sad, of course. I'm absolutely devastated. But the fox that did all of this. To you, to Judy, to all of Zootopia... that was not my son. That was an animal."

Nick sighed. He responded by putting his paw on her shoulder. "I know."

Clementine lifted her paw and placed it on his. "I'm just glad you did not end up the same way." She smiled.

The two shared a hug. It was only a couple of seconds, but the embrace lasted for what could very well be hours. There is no love stronger than a parent and their child. Nothing can come between it, and nothing can destroy it. But it can be disturbed. And it was at that moment when Nick's nose caught a whiff of one of his babies. He went up to the carrier, stuck his head under the cover, and sniffed from left to right. His nose caught the epicenter. It was Alex. Nick smiled.

He picked up his kit from the stroller with one paw, grabbed the buggy with the other, and looked at his mom with a grin and a shrug. "Duty calls."

Nick never really thought much about what his mom probably went through. But now that he was a parent too, it nagged him daily. He would ask himself, 'how did she do this?' every now and then.

She was a stone. She was caring and loving, she was protective and strong. At least on the outside. Clementine worked on constant overdrive to take care of her boys. Two jobs, 16 hour shifts, and enough discrimination to make someone want to end it all then and there. But she never gave in. She did it for her sons. Even though it was tough to pay the bills in time and have barely enough to eat, she still made ends meet to make sure her sons could do the things they wanted.

The first expense was James. He had always wanted to join a boxing class after seeing the famous Rocky Balboara on the silver screen. The second was Nick. He had always wanted to be a Junior Ranger Scout, and Clementine made that happen. Unfortunately, it was not the turnout the little fox expected. James and Nick were the only two animals that mattered in her life. She did the best she could, but she assumed it was never enough.

When James ran away, she was devastated, and then Nick began following in his footsteps. Luckily, he turned his life around. But James was a lost cause. But he never understood why. He would ask his mom why he was the way he was, but she never gave him a straight answer. It was a question that would forever be unanswered thanks to his demise in the Rainforest District.

The thought faded from his mind as he pushed the family bathroom door open, shutting it behind him. Clementine waited outside with the other two babies in the buggy. He put Alex on the changing table, fastened him down and grabbed a diaper from the bag. He undid the straps and cleaned up the mess before swiftly closing the diaper and disposing of it. Nick turned away to get a fresh breath of air before sliding the clean diaper under the kit.

With Alex nice and clean and secured safely to the table, Nick took the opportunity to use the bathroom himself. He kept his head on a swivel between the toilet bowl and his son. Multi tasking while using the bathroom. That could be added to Nick's list of things he never thought he would do in his life. But at the same time, becoming a parent will change any mammal from being carefree to constantly on the lookout. After all, not to gloat, but his kids were more special than any other on the planet.

Not just because they were his, but because of what they were. Hybrids. Half fox, half bunny. The first and so far only ones of their kind. Though he did not like saying it in that way. 'Their kind.' They were not anything like that. They were just his kids. And they did not look like they were spliced experiments of a mad scientist. They were just two normal looking bunnies and a normal looking fox. Only time would tell what hybrid traits they would possess in the future.

Nick went to the sink and quickly washed his paws. As he shook off the soap and water from his fur, he looked down at his left paw, and at his wedding ring. The fox smiled. He slid it off and looked at the engraved text on the inside. 'You Know You Love Me' was carved in a beautiful cursive writing. Mimicking their first case together as partners in crime-fighting. His and her rings cost $25,000. It was the first large expense of his life, yet it was the most worth it. After all his years of hustling and saving money with nothing in mind to save for, he found his purpose.

His wife. The only girl he truly loved other than his mother, and now his daughter. Judy was the only mammal to see what everyone else could see. As something more than just a shifty, and untrustworthy fox. They had been together for years, and nothing could separate the bond that they shared. Nick slid the ring back on his finger and picked up Alex from the changing table. He laid his lips on his son's tiny head with a small peck as he walked out of the bathroom.

When he stepped outside, Nick saw Judy sitting on the bench next to Clementine. The two of them stood up, and she came over and took Alex from his paws.

"Okay, so I got three of those big bags of assorted candies and three packages of balls." Judy said as she put the pacifier in Alex's mouth.

"That sounds like it'll work." Nick replied, crossing his arms.

"Well, it looks like that's everything on the list for here. All that's left is to get the Easter clothes at Targoat."

Nick cocked an eyebrow. "What? You don't like the cheap look of the stuff here?"

"No. I just don't want to look like we're entirely poor." She winked.

They were both joking. They surely were not poor by any means, not even with all the expenses for the babies. However, all that was left for Easter attire were the cheaply made and clearance clothing that nobody liked. And even if there were some acceptable ones, most likely they would have them in the correct sizes.

Luckily, they had a lot of the expenses covered by the money left for them in Billy Stride's will. Being the CEO of a massive company such as Carrot Top Industries, and with millions of customers in his market, he was filthier than filthy rich. A great deal of the money went to all the hospital bills they had to deal with. It also went to paying for their house. And that was not even half of it. Their rainy day fund could support a flood, or two, or three.

However, they did not treat themselves any higher class than any other mammal. Though the Wildes could technically be considered rich now, they did not want to be seen as pompous Scrooges. They were perfectly financially set with their jobs. The money they had would be saved for other important things, like their kids' college funds.

The family made their way to the check out lanes. Everything was bagged up. Nick slid his credit card through the machine, and after a quick signature, they were on their way. Nick made his way out of the grocery store holding a couple of bags in one hand, and his little pup, Peter in the other. He looked down at his son who slept so soundly with his blue and green pacifier snug in his mouth. Nick's mother Clementine walked close by with a bag of her own groceries. She occasionally peeked over her son's shoulder to get a look at her sweet, sleeping little grandson. Clementine went to put her things in her car, as did Nick and Judy. She opened the passenger door and worried about putting the babies in the carseats, while Nick popped the trunk and focused on the groceries. The two of them got in their seats. Nick started up the car and Judy put on a pair of sunglasses. The family drove out of the parking lot and onto their next destination. Off to Targoat they went.


	4. Chapter 3: A Trip Through Memory Lane

**Chapter 3: A Trip Through Memory Lane**

* * *

The day felt like a week. Time could not have been moving any slower for Judy as she sat on the couch with the baby monitor. Nick was called in for work today, so Judy was alone with the babies until he got back. Luckily, it was only a 9-2, so it wouldn't be that long. She was beginning to bite her tongue, though. The TV was not yet setup, so she did not have that to distract her. The babies were just fed, changed and put down for their naps, so Judy had at least twenty minutes to just relax. Yet she couldn't. Being a mother with three infants, mean downtime doesn't really mean downtime anymore. She was still always ready at a second's notice in case one of the babies were to have a rude awakening.

The bunny then turned her attention to the boxes of all their stuff. She scooted to the edge of the couch and reached for the nearest one. She grunted as her fingers just barely caught a grip of one of the corners. She pulled the heavy box to her and set it between her legs. She tipped and turned the container, looking for a label. Finally, she found it. 'Photo Albums' was crudely scribbled on the face of the side in all caps with black marker.

She tore the tape off and unfolded the flaps. Sure enough, underneath the bubble wrap were their maroon colored photo albums, along with a couple of books and other miscellaneous items.

Judy pulled one out of the box and laid it in her lap. She opened it to the first page. There were pictures of her and her family, her niece, Cotton, and a picture of her and Nick at the Gazelle concert. Their first date. She turned page after page, falling into every memory. Their vacation to the Mountain District, date nights, and their wedding. Judy smiled as she saw the two of them locking in the kiss that would forever seal their love.

She turned the page again. It was a picture of the two of them standing next to Clementine. It was the first time she met Nick's mom. She smiled as she began to think about yesterday, and then back to that wonderful day. The day they met.

...

The warm and welcoming rays of the morning sun basked through the blinds of the large window, and onto the bright orange furs of Nick Wilde, sleeping soundly in his bed. Ears twitch, eyes flutter, and the fox awakens. He sits himself up, the covers slide off his figure and compiles in his lap as he stretches and yawns off the sleep. With a scratch of his chest, he looks down to a beautiful sight. Judy Hopps. The fox lets out a compassionate smile watching the bunny in the comforts of her slumber; breathe in, breathe out. Something about watching her sleep so soundly made Nick feel at peace. Nothing in the world would make him feel as content as he felt now; if he were to die, he would surely die happy.

Into the kitchen he slumps to make himself a well needed cup of coffee, as well as some tea for her; if he was up, it surely would not be long until she followed suit. Just as he places the bag in the mug, Nick feels paws around his torso, and a familiar pair of ears resting on his bare back. A smile grew across his cheeks; speak of the devil.

"Morning, Carrots." He cooed.

She nuzzled into his fur. Her delicate touch comforted him, and her breath tickled his furs. Her nose twitched, also tickling his coat as he poured the hot water into her cup.

"Morning Nicky-Nick." Judy cooed back.

With one paw, he hugged around his chest meet with hers. As he finds what he is looking for, he also finds, or rather feels, something else. Bumpy and slick, cold, slightly pointed, and almost sharp to the touch. His smile grew wider, as ran his finger across the wedding ring that sat on her center finger.

Fiancee, a simple stage in the process of becoming something bigger; his wife. After three long years, he finally proposed to Judy, and of course she said yes, just like he knew she would. They were both madly in love with each other, but always had to hide their relationship not only for work, but so they would not be discriminated by the public. Interspecies relationships were frowned upon, seen as a crime against nature. That was until the Marriage Equality Law was passed by Mayor Arthur Staggery, who took office when Bellwether was busted for the savage attacks. They no longer had to hide, they could be who they were, they could be what they were; and what they were was in love. Harmoniously in love.

"So are you ready for today?" asked Judy. Nick's eyes slightly widened as he took a drink of his coffee, shuttering from the slight bitterness; his coffee needed a little more sugar.

She didn't even mean to take a drink. In fact, and bigger of a sip then she took and her heart rate would bust through the roof. Bunnies couldn't have highly caffeinated drinks like coffee or energy drinks. She reached out and switched mugs, breathing in the soothing aroma of her tea before taking a drink.

"Ready for what?" he asked, smacking his lips. He watched as she took a delicate sip of her English Breakfast tea, reaching into the cupboard for some honey.

"To see your mom. I sure can't wait to meet her." she said squeezing the honey into her hot drink.

Nick's eyes lowered, and his lids grew heavy. He felt a great wave of sadness and regret hit him. While he undoubtedly was ready to see his mom again, he had no idea how she would react. To him, now being a 28 year old fox, a police officer, and having a fiancee, who was a bunny. Would she be jovial to see him, hear about his new job as a cop, and to meet his mate? Would she be depressed to see her son in which she hadn't seen in years? Or would she be angry and un-accepting of his soon to be wife simply because she was not a vixen? Was she a bigot? All these thoughts began running circles around Nick's head.

"Y-yeah..." He frowned. Judy turned her head, placing the mug on the counter.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a tone of care ringing in the words.

Nick sighed. "I don't know. I'm just nervous. I haven't seen my mom in years. I don't have a clue what to say." Judy gripped Nick's limp paw. He looked down at her, and she smiled up at him.

"Don't worry, when the time comes, you'll know."

Nick replaced his grim look with a smirk, followed by a small chuckle as he peppered her cheek. "What a tired cliche my little bunny. I hope that it really is true." Nick pressed his lips against hers, embracing the warmth as he stole a tender kiss. The two got dressed, and they left, heading for suburban Savannah Central. Vagabonds filled the alleys, and the streets were empty. Judy cringed at the sight. She almost felt thankful to have mace and a taser strapped to her waist. Nick was undisturbed by this image, for more than a few times in his life has he lived the same way. He could practically name some of them. The car came to a halt. They were here; 1919 Papyrus Blvd.

The two officers walked up the steps of the apartment complex. Nick began to breathe heavily, and Judy noticed it. She grabbed his paw. "Calm down, honey. It's okay." He looked down at her, and took a deep breath, trying to relax. Room 209. Nick shakily lifted his paw in a fist, hovering between the air and the door. He hesitated, before finally slowly knocking on the door. He shrugged his shoulders, and put his hands in his pockets with a nervous huff. Judy looked up at him. He looked down at her and gave her a fake smile. His ears were completely pinned to his head. They then perked at the sound of the door unlocking on the other side. The door slowly creaked open, and Nick froze at the sight of the aged vixen coming into view.

Her name was Clementine Wilde. Her gaze first focused to the bunny. She wore a lovely smile, and as her vision guided to who the bunny was with; she also froze. The two foxes gazed into each other's auras, and time itself seemed to stop. With a trembling lip, the vixen finally broke the silence. "N-Nicky?"

Nick began to grin, he was on the verge of tears, both from his unbelievable nervousness, and his understandable amount of joy. At last, he spoke to his mother again, for the first time in years. "Hello mom."

Clementine motioned her paws to cover her mouth, then extended them outward to welcome his son in an embrace. Nick gladly took the hug, holding his mother again in such a long time. A single tear streamed from her eye as she hugged her baby tighter.

"It's been so long..."

"I know, mom...I know."

The two released each other and gaze into each other's eyes; bright green into pale blue. Nick soon snapped from his gaze, remembering that he did come here with someone.

"Oh, mom I'd like you to meet someone." Nick said as he pulled the bunny close to his waist. "This is Judy Hopps, my mate."

Judy smiled as she extended out a paw. "It's very nice to meet you Mrs. Wi-" She was cut off by the sensation of Clementine bending down to pull her into a hug. Her eyes widened, before they closed and began to hug back. How would his mom react, Nick Wilde thought. She would be happy. Unbelievably happy; to see him, to meet his fiancee, all of it. She was more than happy to see that Nick was doing more than well with his life. Everything was going well for the fox at this moment in his life, and now that he had finally reunited with his mother...he was never going to let her go again.

...

Like most of her memories with Nick, it felt like it was just yesterday. She turned the page again and saw a selfie of her next to Nick. He had a black eye and looked very dizzy. She chuckled as the memories of that day came flooding back. Performance Review Week.

...

With one final swing, the tiger fell to the arena floor. Nick stood above the downed officer, gloves raised to the floodlights of the gym in victory. His tail swayed with his cemented swagger. Nick surveyed the crowd behind the ropes with his usual smirk as the tiger stumbled out of the ring. It was the annual ZPD performance review, and the current event was sparring. This was Nick and Judy's first performance review, and the fox loved the sparring events back at the academy. An animal would step in, and would fight until defeat. 9 consecutive wins in a row, Nick felt like a champion. Only question that rang in the fox's mind; who would be the one to help him get that number to 10? Winner, Nick Wilde. Next opponent...

"Next opponent: Officer Judy Hopps." the polar bear announced.

Nick's eyes widened at the name, and the crowd began gossiping. Judy Hopps was the best sparrer in the academy; holding the current record of 25 consecutive wins. He turned half circle, and watched the bunny hop over the ropes, landing with a small thud. Judy swayed to the center of the ring. Nick felt his jaw drop at her attire. Her workout shirts, muscle shirts and leggings were all either dirty or reeked of sweat, so today she was clad in a sports bra and rather low cut shorts. Nick swore he felt his gym shorts shrink just the slightest bit at his fiance in such attire. The bunny clashed her gloves together twice, and her hips swayed to and fro as she walked up to Nick with a smile.

"Are you ready for this Nick?" She said placing a gloved paw on her pivoted hip.

The fox simply smirked. "I was born ready. Don't think that just because you're a bunny I'll go easy on you." He said with a wink. He figured that mentioning her species would lead to a better outcome than being sexist and saying 'girl.' He knew she was capable of things that even the esteemed Chief Bogo was not, and nearly everyone idolized him.

"I don't think you should worry about that. Don't think I'll go easy on you because you're my mate." She winked back, putting her mouth guard in place. Nick smirked and followed suit.

"Prepare!" the instructor shouted. Everyone sat back, two champions going to battle; this would be good, who will come out on top? Nick and Judy raised their gloves to their faces, reaching out their right paw to bump, showing the traditional sign of respect in the ring. 'Ring' was an understatement for the fox and bunny. To them, it was their battlefield, where anyone that stepped in their way would be brought to their knees, and they showed no mercy. The bell rang, ears twitched, and the two hopped lightly on their feet.

Nick and Judy circled around the ring, not for even an instant breaking eye contact. Nothing distracted them. The fact that they were mates went out the window for both of them. At this moment, they were opponents. Nick threw the first swing, a left jab, which Judy easily avoids shifting to the side. Nick returns to his defensive position. He strikes again, right jab-left jab. Judy shifts left to avoid the first punch, the next one she shifts right and leans forward.

Bam.

Judy gives Nick a hardened right jab to the cheek. The fox stumbles back. The crowd begins protruding masculine sounding 'oohs.' Similar to how a father and his friends may sound while watching a football game or other kind of suspenseful sport. Judy quickly jump changes, switching her feet back and forth to distract the fox. Judy moves in, high right jab, mid left jab, high right hook. Nick retaliates, dodge, dodge, and blocks the hook with his wrist.

Bam.

Instantly, he steps forward and pops Judy in the nose. This time, she stumbled back. The 'oohs' became louder, sounding more like primal males then officers by now. She pulls her glove away from her nose, and she blinks. Nick was charging right at her. The bunny had no time to react for what she already knew was a grapple; all she could do was brace herself.

Nick lifts the bunny from her stable position from under her knees and pins her to the arena floor. Her arms and legs were pinned underneath the fox's strong paws. She jerked, trying to free herself, but to no avail. Judy never really had to deal with being in a grapple hold. Her opponents were much larger, and could barely even grab the bunny due to her speed. Nick was the exception, her struggles became weaker and weaker. The sly fox began to smirk more, showing his glossy white teeth from behind his mouth guard; Nick was her kryptonite. His muzzle almost touched her nose. Judy could feel his breath breeze through the cold sweat on her cheek furs, and then an idea sparked in Nick's head. He gave a sly grin, eyelids half closed, intoxicating, and almost arousing.

Judy was thrown off, giving a nervous look, and a small chuckle. "Heh. Wha-"

That was all he could say before Nick leaned down and firmly placed his lips against hers. Judy's eyes shot wide open, and the crowd began cheering the fox on, encouraging his efforts. Judy's eyes became heavy, as she stopped struggling to enjoy the kiss from her mate. The instructor scolded the two and their foreplay-esque actions. "Hey! Now is not the time for that you two!" She shouted, her voice sounding slightly of embarrassment. Nick and Judy disregarded it. She could feel his grip loosen on her wrist, and she opened her eyes; Nick fell for her plan. She pivoted her legs, increasing the force, and slammed her feet into the fox's chest, pushing him off of her body with a grunt of pain. Nick grabbed at his stomach watching Judy rise to her feet. Nick chuckled under his breath.

"Sly bunny. Ready for round two?" He said with a wink. Judy caught onto his crude, yet perfectly timed joke as she grabbed his paw, helping him to his feet.

"I sure am," she turned to walk back to her position, "but first..." Just as the words left her mouth, Judy placed a firm kiss against her right glove, and spun around to give the fox a hardy hook to the cheek. Nick spat out his mouth guard, and fell to the floor; knockout. The very next second, the bell was rung, signalling a break. Judy swayed over to her mate, and could swear he had a goofy smile across his face. "Sweet dreams, Nick." She said, giving him a meaningful kiss-and-blow. Winner, Judy Hopps. Next opponent...

...

She let out a small chuckle thinking about how badly she got him. The bunny skipped a couple of pages of them in random places, most of them being in their old apartment. Then, Judy stopped to look at some very important photos, perhaps even the most important photos in the album. They were Judy's ultrasound photos.

She smiled again as she pulled one of them out. She looked at her babies before they were even born. It felt like magic then, and it still felt like magic now. To get a glimpse of her beautiful litter she had with Nick. To remind them of all they had gone through to have them. All the hate and discrimination, Jake Bengali, James Todd. All the animals that made their relationship even stronger then it was.

She smiled wider as she recognized her babies in the photos. Alex was on the left, Peter was in the center, and Johanna was on the right, hanging upside down. It brought one last memory, one that was not captured in a photo, but one she could still re-imagine every last detail of.

Imagining their children...

...

Nick watched the two elephants walking with their beautiful little girl from across the street, the mother's trunk coiled in her daughter's. A certain sensation struck his heart as he held his iced tea a little bit tighter. Not a pain, but it still felt like it hurt just a bit. Like something was taken, something was missing. His grip also tightened on his fiancée's paw, but Judy didn't seem to mind, nor did she even seem to notice as she put the straw against her soft pink lips. The sun began to set further behind the city, painting the sky to a nice warming shade of orange and pink as the evening air blew colder through his fur.

He looked more to the right and saw a zebra walking out of a building with his son who was dressed in an all too familiar attire; a Jr. Ranger Scout uniform. That feeling hit him harder. How he wished he had a dad to experience that with oh so many years ago, perhaps things would have been better for him. Then again, if things did not happen the way they did, he may have never met the wonderful bunny that clung to his side as he thought everything out. Forget and move on. There was one possible solution that traveled into his mind. Don't mourn over what you didn't have, become it, and become a better one.

"Hey Carrots?" Nick asked.

Judy looked up from her iced tea with a smile. "Yeah Nick?" She asked. There was a brief pause.

"I know you didn't want us talking about this until after we were married, but what do you think about us having kids?"

Her smile faded, not because she was sad, but because she lost herself in her thought for a moment. Her lip stuttered before she spoke up.

"Well, it's like we were talking about it before, we could always adopt a couple of bunnies or a fox pup."

"Yeah." He said softly. They both stopped in their place. "Sorry, I just, I'm not sure why I started thinking about it so much. I just, really..." He drifted off. The two of them sat down at a nearby bench. Judy placed her paw on Nick's lap.

"Nick," she began, "I know you want to be a father as much as I want to be a mother-"

"It's not just that, Carrots. I want them to be ours. Yours and mine, together. I just wished there was a way."

There was another brief pause. "Well, you do know that no matter what they will be ours, biological or not. Right?" He looked down at her caring expression, and a lovely smile spread to the ends of his cheeks. He nodded. "Or maybe we could have both. I could have an injection and you could find a vixen surrogate. That way they will have our genes." Nick nodded again.

They stood from the bench, and continued there walk home as the setting sun guided their way back to the apartment. Nick placed a gentle kiss between her ears and smiled once more.

"Until that day comes... We can always imagine..."

...

She began to think of Nick. Everything they'd been through, and everything she loved about him. Those gorgeous emerald green eyes for which no amount of money could pay off their beauty. His unbelievably fluffy tail. His slim, yet toned orange and cream chest. As Judy kept imagining, the air began to feel warm around her. She tugged on her neck hole and fanned her face with her paw. She checked on the babies in the monitor. They were still fast asleep. She checked the thermostat on the wall, but it read that it was only 68 degrees. She wondered why she was feeling so hot. Her ears drooped. She was in heat. Really? She thought. How could she already be in heat again? She figured it must be since she's a bunny. It's their way of life. With this being her first babies, she never knew this would happen, and obviously her older sisters and aunts probably would not mention their state of arousal to each other.

Perhaps she could take some medicine to calm down, but she would have to go to the store and buy more since she had no use for it when she was pregnant. Maybe she could take care of it as quick as she could before her litter wakes up. Or perhaps... she could hold off until Nick came back. It has been a while since the two of them have shared the bed for more than just sleep, and she knew Nick would not be opposed to a little fun after coming home from work.

She checked the time, and luckily enough time had passed by now that he should be off.


	5. Chapter 4: A Glance Into the Past

**Chapter 4: A Glance Into the Past**

* * *

The day was particularly sweltering for the district of Sahara Square. Brows were mopped, shaved ice and lemonade stands boomed with business, and it was a particularly uncomfortable day to be out and working in the heat for the two cops. Nick walked for a bit on the streets, taking a little break. For a Saturday afternoon, the streets of Sahara Square were rather open. Not many animals were out, even though it was a wonderful day. Not a cloud in the sky, pleasantly warm, why would nobody but him be out right now? He dismissed it, for neither of them really complained. They actually had space to walk. As a matter of fact, today in general seemed to be slow. Not many big cases occurred today, so Chief Bogo just sent him on regimental assignments; drive-arounds, traffic duty, that sort of stuff. Nick was assigned an all too familiar task; meter maid. It reminded him of a similar day he was on this assignment with his wife. Oh, and what a great day it was.

* * *

The fox struggled to keep up with his fiancé as she typed ticket after ticket. By the time they went on their lunch break, it was a saddening 133 to 47. Sometimes, Judy would even have the sly nerve to slide across the roof of the car as Nick was typing, pre-made ticket on the windshield while tweedling her fingers at the fox in a wave as a swaggered 'hello, goodbye.' Nick could feel the sweat pooling under his pits, moistening his shirt. He would sigh as he cancelled yet another ticket transaction, for his partner would have already beaten him to it.

The unbearable heat soon forced Judy to roll up her sleeves and discard her vest, exposing just a little bit of her gray and white fur. Nick did not complain at her look. She looked pretty adorable like that. Judy had a way of looking tough and pretty at the same time. Forget pretty, how about beautiful, the fox thought. Nick adjusted his aviators and took another sip of his soda, but was saddened to discover there were only a few drops left lingering at the bottom of the can. He titled his head back, and his tongue caressed the smooth metal, scavenging for what little contents of soda remained in the can.

Judy watched as he performed the rather crude gesture on the soda can and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Nick stop. It's gone." She said embarrassed.

Nick looked down to see the sweaty bunny blush a little. He smirked and leaned his muzzle close to her cheeks. "Would you rather me do it to you, honey?" She sighed of annoyance and playfully pushes the hungry fox's snout away.

The day continued to bake, and finally their shift was over. The air conditioning was on max, and yet the bunny still wiped her brow,dripping with sweat and the fox fanned his face with his paw. It was abnormally hot for Savannah Central too. They wondered if Tundratown had begun to melt. The door closed behind them and Judy landed with a plop on the couch, stretching the neckline of her shirt to allow some kind of breeze to cool her off, but to little avail. Nick grunted, finally having enough with the impossible heat.

"Screw this." He proclaimed. Judy's ear perked and she slowly lifted herself on the couch to look back at him; she was shocked. Somehow, Nick had quickly stripped off all of his clothes, including his underwear, leaving his clotted furs and, well... everything else showing. Judy blushed at the sight of her naked mate. "Aah, that is sooo much better." He said sighing happily.

Judy for a split second, contemplated, and envied Nick's nudity. Not in a romantic way, but rather in a seek of comfort. Judy stands from the couch and unbuttons her shirt and unbuttons her pants. With a toss of her muscle shirt over head in a slight struggle, Judy is left with just her underwear on. She too breathes a sigh of relief, finally beginning to cool down on this unbearably hot day.

Nick gains a scandalous idea, and smiles and motions around her to the bedroom. Judy let's out a yelp of surprise at the sensation of him swiftly unlatching her bra hook. A blush begins to redden her cheeks further as she glares at Nick, who responds with nothing more than his trademark smirk. Judy watches his tail sway happily, and she shrugs, admitting that she would be even more satisfied, and allows her bra to fall to the floor. For a sweltering hot day, it sure felt nice to go all skin, or rather, all fur.

* * *

Nick chuckled to himself about the memory of that day. And now he couldn't wait even more to get to come home to his wife. Her beautiful purple eyes unlike any animal he had ever seen. He wondered if his daughter would have the same beautiful color, but that would be a 1 in a million chance. The thoughts that ran through his brain triggered another fun memory of their past. One that Nick, was actually very surprised about, since he figured Judy was not so...open, to such provocative activities.

* * *

Nick and Judy could not for the life of them decide where to go on a date. They have watched countless movies and dinner dates were way overdone. They simply drive around the streets until something pops up in one of their minds.

Judy contemplated every possible thing they could do but shut it down just as she thinks about it. Tundratown walk? No,they didn't have many warm clothes right now. Rain Forest District? Nope, neither of them felt like getting wet. Walk the malls? They've both seen the stores hundreds of times now. Nothing seemed to be a good idea for Judy to do with her fiancée. Suddenly, a spark ignites an idea in her head. Judy recalls a rather intimate drive-in movie night they had, and she remembered taking off his tie and putting it in the side pocket of her door. The bunny smirked in her mind. She had a very sly thing planned, one she was sure her mate would thoroughly enjoy.

"Hey, Nick?" She asks coming to the red light. Judy glances over at Nick who was glancing right back.

"Yeah, Carrots?" He asks looking up from his phone.

"I know something we could do,but it's a secret, and you have to trust me, okay?" Nick smiled at his fiancé.

"I always trust you, Carrots."

"Great. In that case, put this on." Judy says as she hands him the dress tie. Nick gives her a perplexed look, before complying and blindfolding himself. The sensation of riding in a car with no vision was strange, yet enjoyable at the same time. The car trip felt like a short one. As Judy came to a halt, Nick was forced to blindly put his paws in front of him so his face would not painfully meet with the dashboard. He heard her put the gears into park and unbuckle her seat belt.

"Okay! Wait here for a second. Don't take that blindfold off!" She said closing the door. Nick gave a small chuckle as he sat in the silent car.

"Why do I trust that bunny so much?" He began having a conversation with himself, taking a moment to give a fake gasp before answering his own question. "Oh yeah, because I love her."

A few minutes later, Nick could feel his door being opened. He could feel Judy reaching for his paw. He gladly took hold of it. "Okay. Just follow me." Nick put his other paw out to shield him from any incoming walls he was not prepared to meet with his muzzle. Judy chuckled slightly at his composure. Nick could hear garbled commotions around him, though he could not hear what they were about. The voices sounded somewhat familiar. Nick grew ever more curious.

"Come on, Carrots. Can't you give me even a little hint of where we're going?" As he says that,Judy let's go of his paw and runs off. Nick stumbled for a second. "Uh... Carrots?" No response. "Carrots?!"

"Hey, man. Congrats on tying the knot with Judy." The unexpected voice made the fox jump. It was too familiar; Nick's curiosity peaked. He took off the makeshift blindfold to be met with a very familiar nude yak. His eyes widen before he shakes his head, registering where he was; why would Judy want to come to the Misty Springs Oasis?

Judy remembered the time they went to the Misty Springs Oasis for a spa day. While it certainly was wonderful, she refused to strip nude, and she forbid Nick from running around in his birthday suit. The first time she ever saw Nick fully naked was just a week before he proposed to her.

"Uh, hey Yax. Um, did you see which way Judy went?" He asked pointing his fingers to and fro.

"Yeah, for sure, man. She went over to one of the private oasis tents."

Nick looked in the direction he was pointing, waved a paw of thanks, and walked over to the large beige tent. He stands just in front of the tent's entrance flaps. He refrains himself from knocking like he normally would, instead, he cups his paw in a crescent shape against his muzzle to call out for a certain bunny. "Uh, Carrots? Are you in there?"

"Yeah! Come on in!"

Nick folded the flaps aside just enough for him to slip inside. He was looking at the ground, and when he looked up... his jaw dropped.

Judy stood before the fox, completely stripped of all her clothes. She gave a small chuckle at her mate's dumbfounded expression as she placed a paw on her pivoted hip. She tosses him a bottle of sunscreen which he fumbles to catch as he was clearly 'distracted.' Judy hoisted herself onto the table, spreading her gray and white legs to give Nick a full view. The fox felt his pant shrink a little at his mate's suggestive exposure. "Care to get my backside?" She cooed with a wink.

Nick finally shook his surprised look on his face and replaced it with a rather seducing, half-lidded smirk. "Yes, ma'am." He cooed back, squeezing out a pawful of sunscreen. The fox begins to think to himself. 'Now this is going to be a fun date.'

* * *

The thoughts triggered more and more thoughts, yet he didn't really know why. That fluffy tail, those wide hips. Nick enjoyed the images popping in his head, but had to stop his train of thought. After all, he was still on duty. Maybe he would bring her some flowers and chocolate covered carrots when he got off, and maybe a bottle of gel, he thought. He still questioned why he was in such a mood right now. Then it hit him like a baseball to the head. He was in heat. With all the stress of the kids, and being together with them for so long, he must have forgotten about it. There was no medicine to calm him down in his cruiser, and he had already taken his break. He figured he would just have to wait until he got home to take some medicine...Or maybe... he could take care of his urges the old fashioned way with his wife.

After all, it had been quite a while since they have done anything of the sort. Of course, he would only take it up a notch if she wanted to. He wasn't sure about girls, but he knew most would probably not want to have sex weeks after having kids. Then again, she was a bunny. And though he wished not to be stereotypical, he knew from personal experience that they could be in heat for anything. Again, Nick shook the thoughts from his mind. He would have to save them for when he was done with his shift.

The fox pulled out his phone to check the time. He was in luck. Only about twenty minutes to go. He was just about to finish up with his last parking ticket, when all of a sudden there was a commotion at a store on the corner of the street. A wolf dressed in all black ran out of a convenience store with a large bag. Then out followed the store clerk. "Stop that thief!" The zebra shouted.

Nick smirked. Finally. Some excitement for the day. Well, other than the fun thoughts of Judy. He dropped the ticket writer and broke into a sprint, running after the wolf. Nick grabbed his walky-talky and made the announcement to dispatch. The wolf had now gotten into his line of sight. "Stop right there!" Nick yelled as he unbuttoned his safety strap on his tranquilizer.

The wolf looked behind him at the fox cop and panicked. He kept running. Nick took his gun, took careful aim, and fired, sending the dart right into the wolf's butt cheek. The thief grew woozy and fell sliding into the sand. Nick finally caught up. He caught his breath as he pulled out a pair of pawcuffs and detained the wolf.

He went through the lines and rights, then with a quick pat down, found a knife and a pack of cigarettes in his pockets. He picked up the wolf and walked him back to the cruiser. Just another day on the force.

With a final briefing Chief Bogo and after a quick shower in the locker rooms, Nick made his way out of the ZPD. He wore a white tee shirt, and black pants. He kept his badge and gun on his belt, as well as his cuffs. He was not ashamed to think he looked hot with the off duty cop look. After all, off duty cops get all the ladies in the movies, and he was gonna get his lady when he got home.

Nick climbed into his car and sat in the driver seat for a little bit. He pulled out his phone, ready to text Judy, but that was when she suddenly received a message from her. 'You off yet?' It read. He opened his messenger and began to type his reply.

'Just got off now actually.'

'Awesome. The babies are asleep right now. See you when you get home.'

Nick smiled wide with ambition. 'See you soon.'

He shut off his phone and threw it onto the passenger seat before quickly starting up his car. Jackpot, he thought. He just had to get home before the babies woke up. That way he could have at least some time alone with Judy. The energized fox sped out of the parking lot and onto the street. Look out Judy, the predator was hungry, and he was now on the hunt for his prey.


	6. Chapter 5: Libido

**Chapter 5: Libido**

* * *

Love is a magnet. When two are close to each other, they attract, and its can be difficult to separate one from the other. It is the strongest known force in this world. It has no physical draw that can be touched, nor can it be harnessed from any animal. It is a power that can get couples through the thickest and thinnest, through hell and high water, and through Zootopia's biggest gang in history. Nick was feeling that magnetic pull to his wife.

He drove quickly home with a bouquet of roses and a box of condoms. Nick was not sure whether or not Judy could still get pregnant, so for once in their relationship, he needed to play it safe. They never needed before, for obvious reasons. But since the two of them had their gene splicing experiments with the astounding Dr. Jane Hoover at Splice Inc, he didn't know if she could have any more hybrid eggs, or if he had any hybrid sperm left. The doctors said he would have up to six tries before he would have to go through the procedure again, and it was pretty apparent that the sixth try worked. He still would rather be safe then sorry. For while he loved his litter very much, they were a massive pawful, and he was not sure if they could handle three more right now.

Finally, Nick turned the corner and drove up to his house. He parked his car right next to hers. The insurance was under both of their names on the new one. It was a new Furd Fusion. His was an old stationwagon. It barely ran nowadays, but it worked. He'd rather make sure the babies were in a safer, newer, quieter car. Nick walked up to the door, bouquet behind his back. The fox walked up to the front door and gave a knock. He grinned as he had something planned.

Judy came to the door and smiled at the sight of her husband. "H-hey Judy...I just wanted to come and ask you, uh..." Nick said in a fake nervous manner. Then he revealed the roses. "Will you go to the prom with me?"

"Just shut up and get in here!" Judy laughed. She took the roses and gave them a quick sniff. She grabbed his arm with both paws and practically dragged him inside.

"Where's the kids at?" Nick asked.

"Just put them for their naps." She replied.

Nick gave his trademark hustler grin. "Perfect." He said as he shut the door. Afterwards, he picked Judy up and their lips collided in a rapid fire pace.

 **-WARNING-**

 **Mature Content.**

 **(Skip to NOTICE if you don't wish to read.)**

He leaned his snout close to her lips and softly caressed her cheek. She let out a tiny whimper as a result. Everything became a blur after that as the two of them lock in each others' lips. Guess he knew she was excited too.

"Guess we were both thinking of the same thing, huh?" She asked in a humorous manner between kisses.

"Only for my entire shift."

Nick reached around to the front of her body and slides his paw under her shirt. He gently gave her breast a polite squeeze, making her moan from the sensation. He could feel the heat radiating from every part of her. Her blush grew harder and she bit her lip to try and cease her moaning. That was always something that gave Nick a little boost. He leans close to her ears.

Her ears twitched from his breath; it send a thrilling chill down her spine all the way to the end of her tail. He slowly dragged his tongue up her neck, ending with a small intoxicating nibble. Biting her lip became futile as the aroused bunny let out a much louder moan.

She tugged on her collar, the heat of her desire now starting to make her sweat. Nick loved the taste of it though. Judy clenched her fists tight and held them in place in an attempt to resist the pleasure, though it didn't do much as Nick kept working at her. He tore off her vest and slowly unbuttoned her shirt as he kept licking her neck.

"Wow, you sure built up a lot of tension today. Maybe I can help you get rid of that." He cooed into her ears once again.

She swung her head onto his shoulder and arched her back to try and escape his arousing touch, even though she didn't want him to stop. "Oh, I'm the one with a lot of tension? I can see your junk coming through the tip of your pants." She murmured.

Nick looked down, and truth be told, there it was. He looked back up at her. He caressed her neck and slid the shirt off her arms to expose her pink and purple bra. "You want it though, don't you?"

His words were enchanting and his touch was inviting. She was on fire, and he had barely even started. Nick hopped onto the couch. He slowly unbuckled her belt and unzipped her fly. They slid down her soft gray legs with ease. He noticed her bright pink panties with the lavender trim. That made Nick chuckle to himself. 'The carpets match the drapes,' he thought.

Suddenly, Judy gasped feeling her body barely lift a bit higher. She could feel his arousal from inside his pants, and she wanted it. They continue their kiss as she unzipped his fly and he snuck a paw a bit more South. Nick's finger slid in easily, making Judy yelp with a thrill. She took a firm grip and began to stroke him. He let out a pleasured whimper as their tongues tied.

They stripped off the rest of each others' clothes. Nick placed his paws on her sides and pinned her down against the cushions. He carefully positioned himself in the perfect angle. He began slowly, and Judy's moans grew louder as he proceeded deeper and deeper inside.

"H-o-oh God, Nick..." she murmured, her voice was delicate and her body trembled from the increasing pleasure of him. Her foot would not stop tapping if her life depended on it, but Nick didn't care. It was actually a major turn on for him.

"My my... Does my little thumper want me to keep going?" He asked, but all Judy could do for a response is moan and scantily nod. He goes in a bit deeper, this time, his bulb meets her base and she squeals again. "I'm sorry? I didn't catch that..."

"Hngh...Y-yes! Just be quick. I don't know when the babies are gonna wake up again." Judy begged. Nick grinned. He pulled back out just to go right back in and start a rhythm. Her moans grew as Nick pressed himself back in and out of her warm entrance. He could feel her begin to tighten around him every time he made it to the very back. "Hah...ahh...ahh, Nick..." Just as she said that, Nick shifts their bodies so he is lying against the back of the couch and she is on top of him. He increased his speed and begins to buck her senseless.

She starts to practically scream with passion. She begins to get red hot, and her body starts to feel sensitive all over. "Oh, God Nick! Yes!... Ahh...Ahh! Nick...I-I'm gonna... Nick, I'm gonna-aah...!"

Nick begins to tense up from the constant bucking as he comes close too. Before he even knew it, he pushed his shaft deep inside as he began to knot. He lets out a moan loud enough to rival the volume of her screams of pleasure. She feels the warmth flood her insides fast, making her stomach feel warm as a result of it. The pressure from the loves of both his and her own was so much that it began to bloat her a bit. She grabs his ear and his neck as her climax reaches its end. She lets out her last moans and shifts to heavy breathing, as does he. They stare into each others' eyes for a while, and just start to kiss more. Nick's knot begins to swell down, and he is able to pull out. The mixture of their love pours out with a satisfying splatter on the floor. Judy sat next to Nick as she continued to breathe.

 **-NOTICE-**

 **Mature Content Over.**

With the conclusion of their session, and with both of them finally calmed down, Nick and Judy plopped onto the couch.

"Feeling better?" Nick asked in a fairly humorous tone.

Judy sits up and pushes her ears behind the back of her head. She begins rubbing over Nick's torso, going from his shoulders to his chest. She twists a tuft of his fur around her finger semi-seductively.

"Loads. You always seem to know just what I need." She said humorously back.

"Yeah. I can smell your heat over a mile away."

"Is it really that noticeable?"

"Oh, yeah." He smiled.

He continued to smile as he looked at her flawless, soft face, when suddenly his stomach began to vigorously growl. Both their eyes snapped open, then Judy gave a small chuckle which quickly turned into a full laugh. Nick rubbed his neck from the embarrassment.

"Apparently having sex makes you hungry, huh?" She said holding onto her chest.

Nick shrugged. "What can I say? This fox needs to have his energy to have a little fun, especially with a heated bunny like you. We should probably go buy you some medicine so you can calm down. Otherwise, you're gonna end up sucking me dry. And maybe I'll go get a bottle too." He cooed as he gently pinched her chin. He kisses her softly on the forehead, then she did the same to him as she sat up from the couch and walked to the kitchen.

He swung around and rest his head and arms on the back of the couch watching his wife's wonderfully shaped rump sway back and forth with every step she took. He was completely captured by her perfect physique; everything from where her fur shifts from gray to white, to her undeniably adorable fuzzy wuzzy tail. Some days he still couldn't believe that a perfect bunny like her would have wanted to be with a foolish fox like him. God, he couldn't believe she was his.

She opened the fridge and ducked down to look inside. Her face turned mutual as she noticed hardly anything inside. She checked the cabinets and cupboards, but there still wasn't much to make any kind of dinner for the two of them.

"Well, I don't have anything to make dinner right now, Nick. Looks like we're gonna have to make a trip to the store."

"Then perhaps a little date night at Reggi's then?"

Judy thought about it for a second. It had been quite a while since they went on a legitimate date, and at their favorite Italian restaurant too. "Well, we definitely can't go out like this." She said as she modeled for Nick, idolizing her nude figure to emphasize her point.

Nick whistled. "I sure wouldn't mind. Table for two please?" He joked. Judy laughed and shook her head.

"Well, I'll call Clawhauser. He's off today, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind watching the litter for a couple of hours." At that moment, Nick and Judy heard a cry coming from the baby monitor, then two, then three. "Oooookay. Change of plan. You can call Clawhauser, and I can get them." Judy suggested.

"You got it, boss." He said with a salute. She handed him her phone and ran up the stairs to rescue the babies.

Nick scrolled through Judy's contacts until he got to the B's. He clicked on Bemjamin Clawhuaser and put the phone up to his ear. The phone barely even rang once before Clawhauser excitedly answered. "Do you need a babysitter Judy?!"

Nick rubbed his ear before putting it back. "Uh, actually Spots it's me. But yes, me and Carrots were looking to go on a date tonight. You think you can watch the triplets for an hour or two?"

"Absolutely! I'll be over in fifteen!" Clawhauser answered.

"Thanks Spots. See you then."

Nick sat forward on the couch. He lost himself in thoughts again about marrying her, that wonderful, beautiful, absolutely perfect bunny. Him and her, forever at each others' sides. He looked down at the mess of their little activity. That was another thing that soon crossed his mind. Being too lazy to grab a towel, Nick simply cleaned up the mess with his boxers and walked up to the bedroom to throw both their clothes into the hamper. Nick hopped into the shower followed his wife to get himself cleaned off. The case could be forgotten now. Tonight was all for them.

* * *

The main lobby was filled with date night couples of all kinds. Glasses of wine in hoof and paw, the air singing with music and joyful conversations big and small. Reggi's Italian Restaurant was a booming business, especially for a Friday night.

Nick and Judy sat at a dimly lit booth tucked in the back corner. Their looks were a bit casual fancy. He wore a simple whit dress shirt and blazer, while she wore a casual teal dress. This time, she had her purse with her. She almost never carried it around, even on her days off. All she ever took on a daily basis was her phone and her wallet, both of which fit easily in her many pockets on her uniform. The waiter came to their table with salad and breadsticks. She was a horse. Very polite with a smile that can light any mammal's day. They make their orders and she leaves for the kitchen. As Nick threw back the last of the water in his glass, she opened it up and pulled out a manila folder along with her carrot pen. It was the Case on Mr. Honey.

Nick's eyes opened and he put the glass on the coaster. "You brought the file with you, Carrots?" He asked. His tone was a bit concerning, this date was supposed to help them get their minds off of the case until tomorrow.

"I know, but I really just want to get a head start on this case. I don't like the idea of having a Cleansing rebel starting up commotion." Nick's smile faded as she rubbed her temple to ease the oncoming headache. "It just feels like there's something I'm not noticing here."

He smirked with a scheme to lighten up the mood. He took his paw into hers, making her drop the pen. As soon as he had his grip on her paw he slid the file to him and placed next to him on the seat. Judy didn't fight it. She knew he just didn't like seeing her working so much, and he was smart to do it. "Don't think about it too much, Carrots. There are plenty of other things you don't seem to notice."

Judy's ears stood at the sound of that statement, and she smiled as she caught on to his typical sly humor.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" She slyly asks with a cocked eyebrow. He takes a hold of her paw from across the table.

"Well, let's see... Your right ear droops before your left one, but they go up at the same time when you're not listening for something."

Judy was bewildered at the realization. Did she really do that? Now she was going to have to be extra observant and see if what he said was actually true.

"You always bite your right finger when you're nervous... When you're mad or concentrated, your nose twitches..."

Judy was amazed. Did she really do all of these things Nick was listing off to her? "How do you see so much of this stuff?"

"Because I love watching you." He said with a smile.

Judy giggled. "Creep." Nick shrugged the insult off.

Their conversation was hindered at the sight of their waitress arriving with a platter of food. Classic spaghetti and bugballs for him, and broccoli rigatoni for her. The horse pulled a dark violet red bottle of the nearby shelf and presents it to the two.

"Would you care for some Pinot Noir this evening?" She asked.

The two looked at each other and nodded back at the waiter, who gave a responsive nod back as she placed a couple of glasses on the table. Nick hated alcohol, ever since he was a pup after finding the liquor cabinet that belonged to the father he never knew. However, when it came to things with a bit more taste of class unlike a cold beer or a shot of fireball, he always would take part. As a matter of fact, it was the only kind of alcohol he could say he actually liked. Nick always enjoyed sharing a glass of wine with that bunny. Of course he only had half a glass, and Judy stuck with water. She'd rather not have alcohol mixed in with her milk.

As Judy shared a couple of laughs with the waitress as she poured the glass, Nick just stared at her unnoticed. His eyelids grew heavy and he was captured in his fantasies. Oh, how much he loved that dumb bunny.

He raised his glass with a small nod of his head. She raised hers too. He puffed out his chest and sat up straight, putting on his best Shakespeare impersonation. "To us, my dearest bunny."

"To us, my foolish fox." She says with a chuckle, listening to the satisfying clink of the glasses.

The evening swiftly shifted into motion as the two took a slightly longer route back to their house. They engaged in small talk, sharing a couple of laughs just like any couple would, a smile not leaving either of their faces.

Judy shivered. "Hey. Do you wanna get some coffee and teas? Or something kind of warming?" She offered.

"Is my little bunny cold? I told you, you should have brought a jacket." Nick smirked as he took off his blazer. He threw it over her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "You bunnies... Have excellent hearing, but don't care to listen to a word I say."

"Sly fox." She rebuttaled.

"Dumb bunny."

* * *

The two arrived home. Nick shut off the ignition and the two walked up to the door. As soon as they opened the door, they heard...nothing. Clawhauser was an excellent babysitter. He has been able to take care of them with no problem. The three babies sat comfortably and warm on his big belly. He held his paw below the babies to keep them from going anywhere while he scrolled through his FurBook feed.

"Hey you two. How was your date?" Clawhauser asked quietly.

"It was great. Thank you so much for taking care of the triplets." Judy said happily. She went over to the couch and picked up her son, Peter from Clawhauser's lap. She cradled her pup close in her arm and gently pet his little head.

Nick came over and picked up Alex and Johanna, and Clawhauser stood up with a stretch. He patted his friend's back. "Thank you, Spots." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

Clawhauser put his paw up and waved him off. "Don't you even worry about it, Nick. I'm happy to watch these little cuties anytime."

Nick smiled as he walked Clawhauser to the door. "Well thanks again. Have a good night, Clawhauser."

"You too Nick. Tell Judy I said good night and an early Happy Easter."

Nick nodded and off Clawhauser went. He shut the door and went upstairs. As he climbed the steps, he could here the upstairs bathtub running water. He figured it was time to give the babies a bath. He brought in the kits and saw Judy fixing the bathtub as she undressed Peter. Nick began to realize she was filling the bath pretty high. She fastened the baby bath to the bigger tub, and after putting Peter in, the bunny began to unzip her dress.

"You gonna get the two of them undressed or what?" She said with a smirk. "And while you're at it, are you gonna do the same thing?"

Nick grinned as he put the bunnies down and began unzipping their onesies. Once he had taken off the babies' diapers and sat them carefully in the baby tub, he undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt.

Judy stepped in and Nick followed after. As she took a rag and lathered it with baby shampoo, Nick squeezed a bottle of lavender scented body wash into his paw. "Doesn't this seem a bit weird to you? What do you think the babies will think, missy?" Nick joked.

"You kidding me? They won't remember this unless we take a picture of it, and no way are you taking a picture of me naked."

"Aaaawwww." Nick complained as he washed his wife's ears.

Soon enough, the bathtub was drained, and Judy and Nick wrapped the babies in towels. There were only two in the bathroom, so unfortunately the two of them would have to go streaking for a bit. Judy laid the triplets on the changing table as Nick grabbed three new pairs of warm pajamas from the dresser drawer. He chose a dark blue sleeper onesie with yellow stars and moons for Alex. A white sleeper onesie with small pink and purple flowers for Johanna, and a blue and green striped sleeper onesie for Peter.

He brought the clothes over to Judy who was all finished putting the diapers on them. Nick carefully put the pajamas on his litter. When everything was finished, the parents picked up their babies and gently laid them down in the crib. They were all so small that all three of them fit in the same crib. All of them sleeping together would keep them warmer, as the three of them would typically huddle together and lay on top of each other as the night progressed. Judy put a blanket she crocheted over the three of them, and Nick placed their selective pacifiers in each of their mouths. The babies quickly locked their jaws and sucked on each one.

Nick and Judy gave all three gentle kisses on their heads. "Good night my lovelies." Judy whispered. She creeped out of the nursery, and Nick followed behind her, closing the door behind them.

He turned to see Judy's lovely backside. He watched her bushy little tail waggle slightly and was mesmerized by her swinging hips. He walked into the bedroom to see his wife getting herself halfway decent with a pair of underwear and one of Nick's tee shirts. The fox never minded when she wore them, because then he could have her scent trapped in the cloth so he could enjoy it all day. It smelled better than any perfume on the market.

Nick grabbed a pair of boxers and slid them on. Afterwards, he simply crawled into bed with his wife. He pulled her closer to him and pulled the sheets over the both of them.

"Good night, Carrots." He whispered soothingly in her ear.

"Good night, Nick. I love you." She whispered back.

"I love you too."

He still never understood what he did to deserve such a beautiful wife like her. She was his reason for getting up in the morning, for having the best job and life that he has ever had before. She was the reason he believed in good in the great city of Zootopia. The philosophy 'Anyone Can Be Anything' was finally alive in his thoughts because of Judy.

She showed him that he could be more than just a fox. He was an honest and trustworthy fox, a good mammal, a great cop, a loving husband, and now a caring father. Nick owed his life to Judy, and he had no problem with giving all of him to her. For her. All in the name of love.

As it has been said before, love is a magnet. When two are close to each other, they attract, and its can be difficult to separate one from the other. It is the strongest known force in this world. It has no physical draw that can be touched, nor can it be harnessed from any animal. It is a power that can get couples through the thickest and thinnest, through hell and high water, and through Zootopia's biggest gang in history.

The one in which Nick was ready to bring down a second time tomorrow, but not before spending Easter with his wife and litter in Bunnyburrow. Nick was feeling that magnetic pull to his wife, as well as the magnetic pull to the realm of sleep. He was ready for whatever tomorrow had in store.

'Bring it on fate,' Nick thought as he drifted off to sleep, 'hit me with your best shot.'


	7. Chapter 6: Back to Where it Began

**Chapter 6: Back to Where it Began**

* * *

'Most may not guess it, but Easter is a stereotype to bunny culture.' Sarcasm is high in those words, but bunnies do not care; they love Easter. It is an important holiday to their heritage, and bunnies from near and far take great time and care to prepare for this holiday.

Festivals pop up in Zootopia, parades stretch for miles, and the kids race to the events and scavenger hunts. In Zootopia, eggs are not accustomed to use during scavenger hunts, so brightly colored balls were used as replacements. Regardless, animals from all across Zootopia came to enjoy this wonderful spring time holiday. Every year, a district or farm of the Tri-Burrows would have the chance to select who would be the Easter Bunny on the main float; and this year, it was the Hopps Family Farm's turn.

Stu, Bonnie, Judy, and her older brother, Johnny would be the judges, and bunnies from all over the Burrows would come to compete for the spot. Speed, strength and agility were all some of the major components needed to win the course. While females were allowed to compete, many of them watched as hundreds of boys would come one after another to compete for the grand spot atop the float. Judy even considered entering to win the title herself, but she would need to take care of the babies. So she chose to judge with her parents and brother.

The cars came to their stops in the grassy field. Nick and Clementine climbed out of one, and Judy came out in the other with the babies in their car seats in the back. She put the three in the stroller, snug as bugs. Clementine took the liberty of watching them and bringing them to Bonnie and Stu so the two of them could have a little fun. Neither of them stopped her. Clementine loved grandma time with her little bun buns. Nick and Judy made their way to the area where everything was going down; but not without stopping at a few game tents.

Nick was in a pink polo shirt, while Judy wore a lovely flower print dress. Judy would have to join at the judge's table soon. She did admit, that some of those toned, muscular, and most noted shirtless bunnies were something to go gaga over. Not her, personally. Nick was the only muscle she wanted to fangirl over. A bunny gave her a wave hello, and she gave a pleased chuckle and a wave back. Nick was not amused. Not at Judy, no. At the other bunnies. Sending looks her way with a bump of a pec or a flex of the bicep. It didn't strike him too much. He knew it was all fun and games and Judy loved him more than any bunny at this event. Besides, Nick was already settled with an undeniable fact on why the other bunnies couldn't get her. She was already taken, and has been for a long time.

There was one group of bunnies in particular that didn't seem to get that big picture. Three buff bunnies from Deerbrook County. They walked up to them with a swagger in their step like they were all that. Nick would have laughed at their stupid immaturity, knowing that these guys are way out of Judy's league, if he weren't annoyed at how close they were to her.

"Hey, baby. I can be your Easter Bunny if you want me to." He obviously didn't seem to notice that Judy wasn't just a girl coming to enjoy the festivities, but he did a second later, and all the blood drained from his face as he watched her slip the large 'judge' band over her shoulder. He swallowed and shrugged it off.

"Oh, you're a judge. Well I think I can win you over, cutie." Judy glared at him for a minute. While bunnies were allowed to call each other that, Judy despised this rabbit calling her cute; he was a prick. Nick stepped up behind her shoulder and asserted his dominance. He even made sure to put his paws on her shoulder, to emphasize the wedding ring on his finger.

"Alright, guys. That's enough." The bunny stared up at Nick, exchanging laughs and gossip between his friends.

"What are you, her security, boy?" He asked. 'Boy' Nick chuckled in his mind. Nick was clearly older than all three of them. His glare turned more menacing as he took another step towards Judy.

"I'm her husband. Now beat it." Nick barked.

The rabbit gave a huff, and the three walked in the opposite direction. What a bunch of douchebunnies. So immature. Boy, was he glad he never went through that sorry stage of life.

"Security..." Nick scoffed. "Please. I'm your militia. Honestly, so ignorant and rude."

Judy chuckled. "Kind of reminds you of somebunny, huh?" She said as she nudged her husband's side.

Nick remembered it like it was yesterday. Billy coming up to them, clad in his fancy three piece suit, trying to be the important one in her life still. Then Nick remembered. The race, the fight, and most importantly, the treehouse.

Albeit in not-so-perfect conditions. It was where their relationship was really taken to the next level. And one week later. One terribly stressful week later. He had the most romantic situation set up to surprise her. The ZPD gala, held in their honor, a slick suit, a gorgeous gown, a perfect song, and quite possibly one of the most beautiful marriage proposals of all time.

Nick smiled. He figured he should take her and the kids back over there again.

Their attention was brought to the sound of a bunny shouting to the crowds. "Sign up to compete! It's not too late to become this year's Easter Bunny! Sign up now!" Nick was lost in thought, and then a smirk crept across his face. Judy motioned him to face her as she grabbed his other paw.

"Okay. Well, I have to get to the judge's table. I'll see you in a bit." Nick's attention is brought down to Judy. His smirk did not leave him as he spoke.

"Okay, Carrots." He leaned down to give her a quick kiss and let go of her paws. He turned back to the sign up desk. If those bunnies did not get Judy was his, then maybe he'd have to make them see.

The massive crowd went nuts with anticipation. Bonnie, Stu, Judy, and Johnny walked in front of the judges' table and greeted the audience. They also had three little special guests with them. Bonnie held Peter, Stu held Alex, and Judy had Johanna. The crowd 'awwed' at the sight of the bunny's adorable triplets. She smiled, and they all took their seats.

The competition began, and they were off to the races. Bunnies were rejected as quickly as they began sometimes. Their athleticism was amazing, but some would lack in certain traits Bonnie, Stu, Judy and her brother Johnny were looking for. Judy didn't even feel bad rejecting some of her brothers that competed. It was all fair game, and everyone knew that. Up next was that bunny from Deerbrook County. Judy glared at him As he got closer and closer to her to try and gain her vote, or her affection. One he was losing every second, and the other he was not getting at all. Try and guess which was which. He even had the nerve to take off his shirt mid-sprint to show his impressive build. Girls in the crowds squealed. Judy, however, was not one bit swayed by his exposure. Regardless, his physique and agility were just enough to get him his vote into the top candidates. Judy stretched her skin as she felt a small headache coming on. She breathed out and listened for the final name.

"Contestant 578: Nick Wilde."

Judy turned her head and cocked an eyebrow. She looked up, and truth be told, it was Nick, wearing the bunny costume from the photo tent. Judy's smile returned to her, and she gave a loud chuckle. She regained her professional look as she bumped Johanna in her free arm.

The buzzer sounded, and the fox took off. His physique was impressive. As Nick vaulted over the sand pit, he heard an elongated sound, along with the sensation of a cool breeze running up his back. He stopped and looked to see his costume had ripped. He knew he was on a timer, but it would constantly distract him. Desperate measures were to be called for. He gripped the front of the costume, and with all his force, tore the cloth from his body, exposing the bright orange and cream furs of his toned chest. Judy's eyes widened with sudden excitement, and cheered on her husband's actions with a swift, "Whoo!"

Her parents gave her a look. She blushed and sat back in her seat. The crowd applauded the fox, or bunny. Finally, the moment came to choose this year's ears Easter Bunny. The three finalists stood in front of the judges' table. A nice bunny from another family named Luke born and raised in Bunnyburrow, that douche bunny from Deerbrook, and Zootopia's Nick Wilde. They all stood. Stu grabbed the microphone and turned it on, giving it a few taps to make sure it worked which resulted in a deafening screech which made Nick shudder and Judy's ears droop. "The winner, and the next Easter Bunny is... Nick Wilde!"

The bunnies cheered, all except that one bunny who just glared up at him. Nick had his eyes closed and his head held up with pride. He didn't have time to react when Judy lunged herself into his warm chest. He chuckled as he held his paws under her rump to lift her up. They share a passionate kiss right next to the bunny from Deerbrook, whose face of 'whaaat?' was stuck to him like glue. Nick simply looked at him and bumped his eyesbrows in a swaggered manner. Irony at its finest. As he walked off with Judy wrapped in his arms, he looked back at the sad, disappointed rabbit. "Sorry, pal. But I'm already her Easter Bunny."


	8. Chapter 7: An Untimely Reunion

**Chapter 7: An Untimely Reunion**

* * *

As he fumbled for his keys to find his car, Nick noticed something peculiar. A fox, red fur grated at the ends from his age. He was at least in his late fifties to early sixties, yet he looked impressively fit for his age. He was in a suit and tie, business casual, yet sharp looking at the same time. It kind of reminded him of himself in a way. It mirrored when he didn't know how to dress. Always wearing that Hawaiian shirt and striped tie. He just disregarded it, until he saw his mom just standing there, staring at the fox.

Nick glanced between the two as he gently rocked his pup. "You alright, Mom?" He asked.

When he looked back at the fox, he could see that he and his mom had caught each other's attention. He slowly walked up to them, not breaking his stare with Clementine.

It wasn't until he was right in front of them that the fox finally said something. "C-Clementine?"

Nick was utterly confused. How did he know his mom's name? Then it hits him, and it hits him unbelievably hard. This fox, could he be?

"John...," Clementine stuttered, "i-it's been quite a long time since I've seen you. W-well, I guess introductions are in need."

She gestures her son in the direction of the fox. His piercing green eyes were just like his, only faded with his age. "Nick, this is John, he's..."

"My father." He quietly answered. His face showed no expression other than disbelief.

The fox gave a small and growing grin. "Nick. My son."

Nick cringed slightly. His breath reeked of cigarettes. The fox awkwardly shifted between wanting to give him a pawshake or a hug, but settled his own dispute by extending his paw to the red fox. Nick looked down at it for a second. His left one, the untrustworthy mammal's shake, he thought. The assumption quickly left his mind though, remembering that he was carrying something rather important in his right paw. Nick respectively shook it.

The aged fox caught a glimpse of something moving in the corner of his eye. He looks down, and stared at the squirming little fox pup nuzzled in his arm. His eyes widen. He could not believe what he was seeing. "And... who's this?" He slowly asks.

Nick bumped him in his arm, calming him down enough for him to go back to sleep. "This is my son, Peter." He stated.

He leaned in to get a closer look at the baby. He booped his nose. Peter cringed at the feeling. John was a bit rough. Nick's eyebrows raised at this. Father or not, Nick's paternal instinct kicked in at him coming a bit too close for comfort to his son.

"Well congratulations, Nicky. So, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much. I've just been working."

"Aah. And, how about your brother? How's James been Clementine?" He asked with a smile.

Nick and Clementine looked at each other with frowns, and then back at John. "You...you don't know, do you?" Nick asked in a macabre fashion.

"What are you talking about?"

Nick sighed as he told the story. "Me and my wife are cops. And James was the leader of a massive gang called the Cleansing. He tried to kill me and her, and then he tried to kill Peter, but he ended up dying, along with many other animals. I thought you would have known that."

John frowned and his heart sank. "Oh...w-well, I've been living under a rock for a while. I don't watch much of the news, nowadays. I also live on the outskirts of Deerbrook County, so I don't get much action out there. Well, God bless his soul." He took a labored breath and adjusted his tie. He then changed the subject back to his family. "So anyway, where's your girl at?"

"She should be here any minute." Nick stated.

"Well, with such a beautiful son, I could only imagine you have an even more beautiful vixen by your side."

Nick's eyes widened a little. Somehow, he knew John would say something like that. His years of hustling made him pretty aware of animals and their expectations, and his father was no different. He could tell he was a bigot from a mile away. Nick was about to reply, when...

"Hey Nick!" Speak of the devil, up to the car, carrying her two kits came his wife, Judy. John's expression turns to one of great confusion. He was married to a bunny? And more importantly, he had kids with a bunny? She looks over to the gray fox and blinked.

"Hello? Who might you be?" She asked politely.

Nick walked up to her side. "Carrots, this is John. John, this is my wife, Judy." He put a barely noticeable influence on 'wife.'

John shook off his expression and extended the same paw for another pawshake. "Pleasure."

"So, how do you two know each other?"

"I'm his father." John answered. Her eyes widened with joy.

"Oh, wow! What a pleasure! Hey! Would you like to meet your other grandchildren?"

Nick's ears perked at that question, his protective instincts kicked in again. After Peter, he felt guilty saying it, but it was true. Nick had never felt so defensive before. Then again, this was his father...his, father. The one that wasn't in his life for, well, his entire life. Nick didn't know as a kid if he was even alive. From the very instant he saw him and knew it was his father, everything his mom would say about him was true. Shifty and untrustworthy. Just like any fox, he guessed. Only it felt much worse with him.

"I would be delighted." John said. Nick's eyes narrowed. He could practically smell the sarcasm in his voice along with the stench of nicotine. He was just trying to be polite. Of course, a bigot like him would not be interested in meeting his 'interspecies' grandchildren. He wanted to believe that his dad was a good guy, but everything he didn't want him to be, he was.

Judy unbuckled the straps and picked up the two sleeping bunnies. She walked back over to him and let's him get a good look at them. "This is my other son, Alex, and my daughter, Johanna." Nick slowly said. His skepticism kept growing worse about John. This time, he simply kept his arms folded behind his back, not wanting to touch them as if they were infected or something.

"Aw, well they sure look like their mother." He quoted.

Judy gave a polite chuckle. She apparently wasn't seeing the same animal Nick was.

John put his paws in his pockets. "Well, I was wondering, if you weren't busy right now, maybe we could catch up?" He asked politely.

Nick felt lost. Catch up? He left him, James and his mother by the time he was an infant. Nick had never even seen him until today. His mom had gotten rid of any and all photos of him. He looked at his wife, who clearly had no problem with it. His good side wanted to give him a chance, but he realized that they needed to get everything ready for their mission tonight. He finally made a decision and sighed in his mind. He guessed he could spare an hour or two.

"Um, maybe another time. We have work in a little bit later tonight." Nick said calmly.

He saw a defeated, but still kind-hearted smile on his old mammal's face. "Well, I guess I can catch up with you guys later. I'm sure we'll be in touch." He said.

With all said and done, Clementine headed home, and Nick and Judy climber into their car once the babies were strapped in.

"He seems very nice." Judy said happily. "Don't you think?"

"...I don't know." Nick said quietly. "Something just feels, off about all of this."

"What do you mean? This is your dad."

"Yeah, Carrots, but he has been out of my life for, well, all my life. He never cared then, and then all of a sudden he jut shows up and tries to make amends after a lifetime of not being there? It just doesn't feel right, I don't even love him because he was never there for me to love. I don't feel anything for him, Judes." Nick said as he drove onto the frontage road. "I mean, you had to have heard the sarcasm in his tone when he saw you, Alex, and Jojo. He didn't have it when he saw Peter."

"I know I heard it, but this is all brand new to him. Just give it a little time. He'll come around."

Nick sighed. "I hope you're right."

A father is the up most important thing in a son's life. He shows them strength, wisdom, guidance, protection, and most importantly love. A father is the backbone of a family. It shows their children the way to carve their own future, and gives them the motivation to carve whatever path they want. From baseball games with a glove and a box of Cracker Jack, to a bag of marshmallows and a tent under a starry forest sky, to a Junior Ranger Scout, a proud son and an even prouder parent, a father is always there for his sons. Not Nick. He never had that. He only had his mom and his brother, but he was not going to let the same happen to his little litter. He was going to make damn sure that he would be the best father any fox could be.

The two went for home. He called Fru Fru and Clawhauser to meet them at their house. While he knew Clawhauser wouldn't let anything happen to his children, he felt just a little bit better having a little extra security at the house while they got ready.

Tonight was the night that the Cleansing would fall yet again. Only this time, it would be for good.


	9. Chapter 8: Party Time

**Chapter 8: Party Time**

* * *

The party was a much bigger turnout than they expected.

Judy wandered through the crowds in her fancy teal silk dress, carrot martini in paw to look like everyone else. Nick patrolled the third floor while she surveyed the lobby and main ball room as well as the rest of the first floor.

The fox and bunny were cool as cucumbers. It was not the first time they had done this by any means. Usually a cop's first sting operation is very nerve racking, and considering that Operation: Deep Cleanse, the sting to try and bring down James Todd and the members of the Cleansing was their first one, and not to mention it resulted in one of the most fatal terrorist bombings in Zootopian History, it was one hell of a way to break the ice.

"Any sign of him, Carrots?" Nick asked on his mic.

"Not one bit." She answered.

As she continued to survey the crowd, her eyes met something. Someone. A bunny. A very sharp, handsome looking bunny. His fur was the same shade of gray as she was,only with three charcoal colored stripes on a each of his cheeks. He was in a slick black suit, and a nice black tie to match. He was very handsome and unique. She wondered why she had never seen this bunny before. Perhaps he was new to town. She just shook it off as she kept looking for Honey.

The bunny kept looking through the crowds, and that's when she spotted him. He was coming down the hall with about three large bodyguards on each side of him. He was in a white tuxedo with gold jewelry on ever single finger. He had a cigar in his teeth and a girl around each of his arms.

The debriefing back at the ZPD went over that. On the left was a white bunny named Salt, and on the right was a skunk. Her nickname was Vinegar. Judy had the thought of salty and bitter mingling with sweet. It didn't add up in her mind. But she would have to leave her jokes behind her. She had a job to do.

"I found him." She said into her microphone.

"Okay, I'm heading down." Nick answered as he sped for the stairs.

Judy crept through the crowds, closer and closer to the target. She lifted her dress a little bit to ready her tranquilizer. That was when the music started. Animals paired up and began dancing. Judy tried to move around the animals as they spun around the floor. She was struggling to keep an eye on Honey, and she was losing her target. She moved faster. She was about to pull out her gun, when someone put their paw on their shoulder.

She spun around and lowered her dress. It was that bunny. His eyes were piercing blue. Judy lost her breath for a second. "Would you care to dance, darling?" He said in a fancy accent.

Judy looked over to see Honey sit down on a couch with his two girls sitting all over him. She looked back at the bunny. "Uh, sure." She said. The rabbit took her paw and put his right paw by her waist. The two danced their way around the circle. She tried not too look at him. Undeniably, he was handsome, but not only that, she had to make sure she did not lose sight of Honey.

Nick walked through the halls, but then suddenly, he had an urge. Nick groaned with disbelief. He quickly ran to the bathroom to empty his bladder. He ran through the door and a wolf followed in. Nick went to the urinal and he went into the stall. Nick unzipped his fly and let his body do its thing. When he was finished, he re-zipped his fly, flushed the urinal, and went for the door. As his paw gripped the handle, he heard the unmistakable sound, along with the feeling of metal against his skull.

He didn't have to turn around to know that the wolf was holding a gun to his head. Two more animals came out of the stalls. It was clearly an ambush. Nick sighed, and then gave a small chuckle. "Finally. Some fun."

The fox knocked the gun out of the way. The bullet discharged into the wall and Nick pulled his tranquilizer from his coat pocket and shot at the other two animals, hitting one with the pellet. They were a bear and a lynx. The bear went down, but the lynx dodged the pellets. He punched the wolf in the face, and he retaliated by slamming him into the wall, knocking the pictures of the nails. He kicked the wolf off of him and readied his gun. That was when the lynx kicked him in the stomach. Nick shifted away, when he came running again, he opened the door and the lynx punched the wood. The wolf came running at Nick. He grabbed the fox by the waist and shoved him out the door and into the balcony beam. The wood cracked from the force. He pulled out his gun, but Nick pointed it to the ceiling. He shot three times. That's when everyone took notice. Judy looked up to see Nick in trouble. Before she could react, the rabbit pushed her down into a crouching position. She tried to resist, but he wouldn't let up. The two came to a clearing, and there stood a panther, a weasel, and a mongoose.

The three of them pulled guns. Judy pulled out her tranquilizer and shot the panther before he could pull the trigger, leaving just the weasel and the mongoose. As she tried to take aim, the rabbit tackled her, and the two of them unloaded rounds of bullets into panicking victims. Judy was shaken, but as she tried to stand her ground again, the rabbit charged at the two predators. He shoved the weasel's gun out of his line of fire and kicked the mongoose in the face. He went back and forth fighting the two of them at the same time, dodging every swing and making every punch.

Judy stood up and help. He finished off the mongoose, and she went for the weasel. She tackled him to the ground, quickly pulled out her tazer and shoved it straight into his neck while holding the button. With the weasel unable to fight anymore, she looked over at the rabbit. He had the mongoose in a choke hold. He kept fighting, so he jerked his arms in a swift motion, and a loud crack resonated in the panicked screams.

Judy was in shock as she saw him let go of the now lifeless mongoose. His body fell limp into his own lap. He stood up and brushed off his coat. Judy grabbed her tranquilizer, as she did, he came and forcefully turned her to face him.

"What was that?!" He shouted.

"I should ask you the same thing!"

"I just saved your life, rabbit!"

"I'm very capable of handling myself, thank you very much. And now I lost my target!" She scolded.

The two turned their bodies away from one another, he reached into his coat pocket, and her into her purse. They turned again to meet each other's eyes. Both were holding something in the other's face.

"Stay out of this!" They both yelled. Surprise filled both of their faces as they looked down at what the other held tight in their paw. Badges.

Her' read ZPD, but his read one of a much higher class. ZIA. Judy was confused. Who the hell was this bunny? Then she read the gold nametag underneath his special ops badge, and it all became crystal clear...

Jack Savage.

"Y-...you're S-Special Agent Jack Savage..."

Judy was left awestruck. So many stories were told to her about this amazing jack rabbit, but she was quickly broken from her gaga imagination as she noticed Honey through the frenzy. He was escaping. She was awestruck again as she watched the striped bunny bypass her, it was fast enough to make his silhouette a mere black and white blur as well as create a small breeze to blow her ears in his direction. With a shake of her head, she ran after them, determined to catch the honey badger.

She still remained amazed at just how fast he was. She shook it off. She had to. ' _Get yourself together. Just focus on the mission.'_ She told herself.

The two chased the honey badger up the stairs. Judy ran the long way around in hopes of flanking Honey and getting him from behind. Once the honey badger had stopped, so did Jack. Honey gave a large belly laugh. "Come on. Do you police officers really think can catch me?"

"I'm no police officer Honey. But I am taking you in!" He said as he charged at him. The rabbit pulled out what looked to be a fancy pair of paw cuffs from his coat pocket. As he lunged forward, aiming for Honey's paws, Jack was kicked in the face by Vinegar. The rabbit was stunned, and then the skunk swung her tail in front of his face, releasing the terrible spray into his eyes.

At that moment, Honey heard foot steps running at him from behind. He turned around to see Judy charging at him. She went in for a tackle, but the badger simply grabbed her, and threw her right into Jack. The two of them hit the glass barrier with great force, cracking it immensely, but not enough to break through.

Judy rubbed her head with her paw. That's when she noticed a weird sensation. She felt tension. That's when Jack regained focus and saw what had happened. Judy's left paw, and Jack's right paw were stuck in the pawcuffs.

The bunny out of instinct, went to try and pull her arm out of the restraints. Jack put his paw up in protest. "Wait! Don't!" The moment she tried to pull, the two of them felt a large amount of pain as the cuffs grew tighter. Jack looked around frantically for the key. That's when Honey spoke up. "Looking for this?" He asked. Jack and Judy looked up to see what looked more like a flash drive than a key. They two of them were about to stand when Honey pulled out a golden pistol. He took aim with one eye shut.

"Carrots!" Judy looked to the right to see Nick yell her name. The fox slid into the line of fire. Honey pulled the trigger and blasted Nick square in the chest. He stumbled back and ran into the two bunnies, and the barrier.

This time, the glass gave way, and the three of them fell from the second floor down to the first. The three were out cold. Honey laughed loudly as he made his escape.

Several minutes later, Judy awoke, head still throbbing from the pain. She looked over at Jack, who was also coming to. Nick awoke too. Luckily, he was wearing his bulletproof vest. He quickly, yet painfully crawled over to her. "Carrots! Carrots are you alright?!" He asked worried.

"I'm fine." The bunny looked over at the hare, now sitting up with a very displeased look on his face. "Agent Jack? Are you okay?"

He glared at Judy and lifted his right paw, emphasizing the weird looking cuffs. "Does this look alright to you?" He snickered.

Nick noticed the cuffs and his eyes widened. "What the hell?" He asked. He grabbed the cord between the two cuffs, looking to tear it somehow with his strength. This time, both Jack and Judy reacted. "Wait Nick! Do-" He pulled on the cord and the unbearable pain came again. Nick had also received a very strong electric shock from the cord. He yelped and let go. "What the hell are those?!" He demanded as he rubbed his paws.

"These are a special pair of prototype cuffs developed by the ZIA. The more you resist, the tighter they get." Jack said angrily.

The reality soon came back to Judy. Honey had escaped. "Damn! Honey's gone!"

"What are we gonna do?!" Nick asked.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to go home and report back to the chief."

"Absolutely not." Jack protested. The two look over at him. "Maybe your friend can do it, bunny, but I have to find that honey badger and get this mess sorted out."

As he tried to stand, Judy pulled him down by the cuffs. "First, My name is not 'bunny.' I'm Judy Wilde of the ZPD. Second, my 'friend' is my husband Nick, and he's my partner. And third, I have little ones back at my house that I need to take care of. So I'm sorry, but you're going to be coming with me and Nick!" Judy ordered.

Jack just stood there. He had a look of disbelief. He huffed. "So you two are the prestine officers of Precinct One, and the first parents of hybrid children, huh?" Jack stood up. "The makeup fooled me... Alright. I'll come with you tonight, but first thing in the morning, we go after Honey." He stated. Nick and Judy stood. Judy had lost her scowl, but Nick was still glaring at the rabbit, and Jack did the same right back. She sighed as she walked out the building, jackrabbit on the left, and fox on the right.

This couldn't possibly go well between them...


	10. Chapter 9: Three's A Crowd

**Chapter 9: Three's A Crowd**

* * *

Instinct. It keeps an animal on their toes. Helps them stay alive in society. It has been with them from their very beginning, and it would still live deep inside them for generations to come. When instinct falls, an animal is left as a vulnerable being. Unable to defend against the savage world. Unable to further survive in this damned city. Life. What was once a friendly paradise had now become a harsh hell. A thunderstorm that never goes passes, a sandstorm that never subsides, a sadness that never goes away. Life. A wonderful visage that gives us love, laughter, success and happiness, to mask away the dreaded truth that it all has to end with a white flash fading to nothing as our souls delve into the pool of eternity that is the afterlife. Life, something that Judy had no idea how to explain right now.

They failed their assignment.

The three of them went back to the Wilde home. Jack and Nick still stated daggers at each other all the way there. Jack and Judy sat in the backseat, still cuffed to each other, and Nick kept his eye on him through the rear view mirror. The ride was quiet other than a few phone calls made by Jack to the commissioner of the ZIA, as well as a few classified contacts.

Nick opened the door and all the officers and friends were waiting in the living room and main hall. The entire house was packed with the police department. "There you two are!" Clawhauser exclaimed. He was holding the triplets. The officers swarmed in around them. Bogo called them all back and asked for Nick to have a debriefing of the situation in the kitchen.

Jack was awestruck when he first saw them. So it was true, he thought. These two really were the first interspecies couple to have babies between each other. He was amazed of how closely they resembled their parents. With the exception of their daughter. Then again, it could have just been traits from Judy's parents.

Judy cradled her babies as Nick talked with Bogo. "Well, Jack, I suppose I should introduce you." she said a bit awkwardly. Jack's paw was forced close to them as she had to hold her triplets."This is Peter, this is Alex, and this is Johanna." She said as she pointed at each of her babies.

Jack still looked a bit unnerved to be this close to them. "Well, they sure are lovely. Congratulations." He said.

"Thanks."

Nick had returned to Judy's side as Jack continued talking. "However, I'm afraid they're not safe here anymore until we catch Honey. You'll have to keep them with animals you trust. It would be best to keep them separated."

Nick's ear twitched in annoyance and anger. "What gives you the right to think of what is best for my litter?!" He said.

Jack pulled the shower curtain away to look at the fox while still covering his bottom half. "Because you and I both know that Honey is not a good mammal. He wants you dead, and since he worked for James Todd, he'll want them dead too. And you and I also know that you only want to keep your children safe. If he finds out they're here. He'll have them killed. You need to keep them separated and hidden so that they won't be found."

Nick and Judy knew he was right, but that did not make the decision any easier, especially for her. It's not that easy for a mother to just entrust the lives of her babies to her friends, even if she knew nothing would happen to them. Judy sighed. "He's right Nick. We have to keep them out of this case."

Nick sighed back and rubbed his neck with anxiety. "Okay, so who should we have watch who?"

The animals huddled into the living room and began to devise a plan of what would go down in the future until Honey was captured.

"Yeah... Okay, I think I've got it." Judy said calmly. "Fru Fru?" The shrew looked up at her best friend. "Can you take Johanna back with you to Tundratown?"

She nodded her head. "Of course, deary. Me and my security will make sure nothing happens to her. I can also make sure to have 24 hour security for the boys as well."

Judy smiled at her friend's generosity. "Thank you Fru Fru."

"Alex should go stay with your parents." Nick said.

"Agreed." She replied.

"Now what about Peter?"

"I think I can ask the Ottertons to watch him. They wouldn't have a problem with it." Judy said.

"Clawhauser, please go call the Hopps and the Ottertons and let them know." Bogo said.

"Yes sir." Clawhauser said as he excused himself from the room.

"We'll make sure that your parents and friends are compensated for their time. We'll also have agents get us a temporary office, as well as transport food and other needs for your children while we get this case solved. My partner will be here in the morning to help us out." Jack stated.

Judy felt just a small sense of relief at his generosity. "Thanks Jack."

She had a grin on her face, but it was clearly fake. There was nothing in this situation that could be positive. They failed their mission, she was stuck with Jack, and now her babies were going to be moved to every corner of Zootopia in the morning. There was not one good thing about this .

"Okay. We'll help you all out in any way we can. In the meantime, you three need to try and get some sleep." Said Bogo. The buffalo herded all of his officers and all of Fru Fru's security up and out the door after all the equipment was picked up.

"Thanks Chief." Nick said in a monotone voice.

Before he stepped out, Bogo put his hoof on the stressed fox's shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much, Wilde. And don't get into any unnecessary fights. We're gonna get Honey, and get all this mess sorted out."

"I'll try my best."

Bogo was the last to leave, and it was just them and the babies. Nick looked down at his paw as he grabbed the handle. He looked at his ring as he thought to himself. Him and Carrots had been through tough situations. This, however, would top just about anything they'vebeen through so far.

Judy sat on the couch holding her triplets in her arms. That's when a funky smell traveled through her nose. She lifted their rumps to her nose, but the smells were not their diapers. She slowly began to remember that Vinegar hit them with her tail. She realized the smell was coming from them.

"Hey Nick?" Judy said.

"Yeah, hon?"

"We're gonna have to take a shower and get the smell of that skunk off of us."

Jack and Nick both looked at her with a confused and concerned all did not want to admit it, but the smell would not go away unless they washed it off. With no other option, they went upstairs.

Nick went to put the babies in their crib. He looked down at them, sleeping soundly, snuggled together in their usual pile to stay warm. He reached down and gently stroked his pup's cheek with the back of his paw, followed by his kits. He grew sad and stressed out. He never thought a case could ever go so pear shaped, but here they were. He did not want to leave his children as much as Judy did, but knowing Fru Fru's security and bodyguards, there was no way their babies could be harmed under their protection. Still, it did not make the situation any easier to handle. He gave the three of them a kiss on their heads, turned on the mobile, and headed for the bathroom with the baby monitor in his paw.

Nick's eye twitched in annoyance. He absolutely could not believe this was happening. That this jack rabbit was attached to his wife with a pair of pawcuffs which the only key to unlock it was stolen. And now both of them would be getting naked to take a shower.

"You go ahead and go first, Mrs. Hopps." Jack suggested.

"Okay." She answered. The rabbit turned the other way to give her the most privacy he could at the time being.

His foot tapped the ground and he tapped his fingers on his crossed arm. He glared over at Jack to make sure he wasn't trying to get a glimpse of what was only meant for his eyes.

Judy slipped in the shower, closing the curtain behind her. Her cuffed paw remained outside the curtain with Jack. The water was warm against her body. For once that night, something felt soothing, given the circumstances of how their mission had gone.

Jack did his best to ignore what was going on literally right next to him. He would feel his arm be tugged closer to the shower every time Judy needed to grab something.

"Uh, Nick?" Judy asked.

Nick's ear raised. He still stared in Jack's direction as he responded. "Yeah Carrots?"

"Do you think you can help me?"

Nick knew she must have been talking about her back and anything on her right side. Since her body was facing away from the shower head and poured water down her back, he wondered if she would need help on her frontside as well. Normally, Nick would be ecstatic about any reason to jump in the shower and generously scrub his wife, but this time was different.

Nick began to strip, and now Jack tried to avert his eyes and mind from two things. With the removal of his last piece of clothing, he snuck behind the curtain to join Judy.

She handed her a bottle of strong scented body wash. He squeezed a bit in his paws and rubbed them together before massaging her fur. He watched as the beige paint faded from her furs and she returned to her normal gray color. He also noticed the black fur paint begin to drip off of him too. In the middle of their session, they began using sign language to communicate with each other. The two of them had been learning for a while. The only issue would be Judy would only have one paw to use, but Nick was pretty sure he would know what she was trying to say.

"I don't like this rabbit, Carrots," Nick signed, "He's too cocky for my liking."

"Kind of reminds you of somebody?" Judy replied. She grinned, but Nick was stone-faced. She sighed. "Look, I don't like the idea of this either, but for the time being, we're gonna be stuck with him."

"Then I really hope we find that honey badger quickly." Nick said. He shut off the water and grabbed the towels from the rack. The two wrapped themselves up and stepped out. Judy quickly realized the problem of putting on a shirt. Judy had an idea. She asked Nick to quickly grab her one of her bras and a stretchy muscle shirt. Nick quickly went and got her the clothes she needed, as well as underwear and some new pants. He also grabbed his clothes. He handed her the maternity bra and shirt first.

Jack turned around again as Judy dropped her towel. She put the bra on with some work, but then came the awkward part. "Jack?" She asked.

"Y-yes Mrs. Hopps?"

"I'm gonna need you to put this on so you can get it over the cuffs and I can put it on."

Realizing there was no other way of going about this, he obliged and put on her shirt. Luckily, it didn't stretch too much since they were close to the same size. He snuck his arm out of the sleeve and pushed the rest of the shirt over to his right arm, so Judy could put it on. She put her head and arm through the holes. It was on inside out, but it didn't matter. At least it was on.

Jack would have a little more trouble. Unlike Judy, his clothes couldn't just slip down her body. Based on the nature of his clothes, he would have to wear the same suit. As soon as Nick and Judy were dressed, Jack began to disrobe. She looked at his chest as he undid his shirt, He had a bullet scar right in the center of his chest. He turned around, and his back had three massive scars like clawmarks going from his shoulder to his tail. Jack began to unbuckle his belt. She turned away so he could finally get undressed and hop in the shower. Nick heard the babies crying, and he turned to his wife.

"Well, that's gonna be a problem tonight." She said.

Nick thought of an idea. "I'll take care of them tonight."

"I'll still be up periodically to help with feedings. I'm gonna have to buy a pump when we go."

He walked to the other side and crawled under the sheets. Jack and Judy stared at each other for a little bit. Nick glared with envy, and pulled her a bit dominantly into the warmth of his chest, and his tail coiled around her legs. He made it very clear that she was his, and she was not to be touched. Judy could even hear him growling in a low tone. They all laid there in silence. Soon enough, they all fell asleep, leaving yesterday behind them in hopes of a better tomorrow. As Judy used to tell herself... Tomorrow was another day... and of course her old neighbor's phrase lingered in her mind too...

But it might be worse...


	11. Chapter 10: An Early Winter

**Chapter 10: An Early Winter**

* * *

Life is like a locked box. What's in store is always a mystery. It fills us with intrigue, excitement, fear. Some say the mysterious contents inside the box is the very meaning of life, but everyone's box is different, and the only problem is that nobody ever has the key. We have to find it. We have to find our meaning in life. Some never find it, while others discover it with ease. Yet, even if we find our keys, we are incapable of opening the box. Because nobody knows for certain what it means to be alive. But then again, that's what makes life worth living.

This was Nick Wilde's life. A sly con-artist turned to a still sly police officer. His best friend and love of his life, and now his three little bundles of joy. This was his box, and this was his life. A life worth living.

The morning sun cascaded across the bedroom floor through the thin curtains. The air smelled crisp and fresh of dew drops on fresh cut grass. Everything finally seemed to be at peace for the drowsy for the fox. The babies weren't even much of a hassle that night. After all the sleep had gotten, especially after the massive fiasco of the previous night, he was cheerful.

The fox's eyes flickered open, expecting to be blinded by the piercing sunlight, or perhaps to be bombarded with the cries of one of his babies. Instead, they were met with a pair of sky blue eyes looking right back at him. "Wow, your eyes really are very green." The animal said.

Nick screamed as he jolted awake. The fox fell off the bed and hit the floor with a loud thud, pulling the sheets with him. Judy awoke with a startle and looked over the edge at her husband before looking at the animal in her rocking chair. It was a vixen. Beige fur, dressed in a nice blouse and skirt, and very pale blue eyes. "Who are you?" Judy asked.

At that moment, Jack sat up, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. With a stretch, the hare spoke. "What have we talked about scaring our unsuspecting coworkers, Winter?"

The fox shrugged. I'm sorry, but I didn't do it on purpose this time. You said to be here at seven-thirty sharp. Well, if you hadn't noticed, it's a quarter past eight. Must've been some party last night, huh Jack?"

Judy was dumbfounded with this fox's presence, as was Nick, who had now got himself untangled from the sheets. He rubbed the pain from his head. "Okay! So, I'm guessing you're Jack's partner then?" He asked in an annoyed tone. "And how did you get in? All the doors are locked."

"Ah yes!" She started as she hoisted herself out of the rocking chair, completely dodging Nick's second question. "I'm Special Agent Skye Winter, but you can call me Skye for now. My partner, Jackie here is the best agent in the ZIA, you know? He and I even got shot while working on our mission. Then we killed everyone and blew the building up! It was so awesome!"

Nick sat up with a groan. Clearly, she was on a bit more of the wild side of sanity. His ear perked at the sound of his babies crying. He sighed as he left the room to go to the nursery. Skye stood from the rocking chair and checked her phone. "Okay, we have a temporary base set up in Sahara Square. I'll send you both the coordinates."

Judy was confused. How would she send it to her? A ding came on her phone. She reached for the nightstand and grabbed her hone. In the notifications, she had a text message of an address. "How did you get my number?" She asked.

"It's my job. I'm the in control of gaining intel on animals. I'm also the best mechanic in Zootopia. Well, at least the best fox mechanic."

Judy turned her head to the door, to see Nick bring in Johanna, unable to get her to stop crying. Skye's ears perked over to her, and her eyes widened. "Aaaaaaaw." She said. Nick looked over at the fox. "Can I see her?"

Somehow, he trusted her just a little bit more than Jack. It could have been because she was a fox, or maybe it was because she was a girl. Either way, he walked over to her with his kit still crying in his arms. The fox shushed the baby a couple of times, and amazingly enough, Johanna stopped crying. She reached out and stroked her fur with a single finger.

Nick was impressed. Never did he himself get any of his babies to calm down that quickly. Judy shared in the same impression. The bunny scooted herself to the front of the bed. "Well, should we discuss what happens next over some coffee and tea?"

* * *

The four of them discussed the details of how they would find Honey over coffee, tea, and a nice breakfast. The morning was not long enjoyed, however. Soon enough, the Ottertons came, ready to pick up Peter. She and Nick gave their son their final kisses for now. Nick handed Emmitt a bag with a bunch of bags of frozen milk, a pacifier and stuffed animal, a raincoat and booties, diapers and wipes, clothes, more diapers, and more clothes. Judy carefully handed Mrs. Otterton her son. The otter cradled the little baby with the up-most care, as if it were a precious diamond or priceless vase. Nick held Judy tight as the Ottertons drove back to the Rainforest District.

The process repeated itself as Fru Fru came for Johanna. A female bear carefully held the little kit as another bear took the bag from Nick. This one had the same as Peter's only a winter coat instead of a raincoat. Off they went to Tundratown.

The cycle happened one last time as Clawhauser came by. He would drop Alex off with Bonnie and Stu. He took the bag, and the little baby, and off he went to BunnyBurrow.

By the time it was finally over, Judy's eyes were bloodshot, accentuating her purple pupils which were filled with despair as were Nick's. Her eyebrows drooped, and she simply looked back down as she shakily breathed. She held back tears as she watched her babies be taken away.

The three of them walked back into the house. Skye walked out to the black car she must have driven there in. She popped the trunk and pulled out a large metal chest. It was clearly heavy. Nick noticed. He sighed and took his paw off his wife's shoulder to help Skye with the case. He grabbed a handle as did she. The vixen thanked Nick as they brought the chest in the house.

"What's in here?" Nick asked.

"The fun part." She winked.

Judy rubbed her head as she laid against the island counter top in the kitchen. Skye and Nick came in, and placed the chest on the dining table with a thud. Skye unlocked the chest and pushed it open. Inside were an assortment of guns, rifles, and knives, as well as grenades and smoke bombs and other explosives.

Judy gestured towards the display. "What is all this?"

"Protection." Jack simply said.

"W-wait a second. We're not missionaries. We don't need this much firepower. We don't use real guns."

"Well, you two are going to have to get used to it. This isn't police matters anymore. You two are temporary special agents." Jack said as he grabbed a pistol, a silencer, and a clip. He slipped the clip in the bottom of the gun and cocked it back. He then spun the barrel onto the end of the pistol.

"I won't kill anyone." Judy said sternly. "We shouldn't have to kill them. There must be another way."

Jack sighed and put the gun down on the table. He turned to the two of them and said in a somewhat dark tone.

"These animals aren't simple hooligans or some mammals stealing things like you're used to. These animals torture, rape and kill for a living and hobby. And my job calls for there to be less of these kind of animals in the world. You can't just give these guys some time out and a slap on the paw, because then their friends will come for you instead. And if they found you arrested them. They'll bring twice the mammal and three times the firepower. So who do you want dead? Them or you?"

Judy had no way to argue her story. So she went to the chest and pulled out a pistol with a shaky paw, along with a couple of clips. Nick did the same, but he kept his police equipment with him too. That included his ZASP, pepper spray, and tranquilizer gun. Judy did too. The four of them put on their bulletproof vests. The two officers kept their badges on their belts. Skye had assembled a machine gun and practiced looking through the scope. Judy did one last thing. She took off her wedding ring, leaving the wedding band on. She looked at the engraved text inside, just on the other side of the diamonds. 'Yes, yes I do.' She thought back to that day briefly, then put the ring in the silverware drawer.

With all four of them ready, Nick and Skye picked up the chest again, now being significantly lighter, and brought it back to the car. Judy was the last to walk out. She shut the door behind her, and locked the door. She put the keys in her pocket and walked with Jack to the black car. Skye tossed Jack the key, which he caught with one paw.

"Now, don't you have too much fun without me." Skye said as she winked at her partner. Jack just nodded with a stoic face. Judy crawled into the driver seat and scooted over to the passenger side. With her left paw being cuffed to his right, she wouldn't be driving in the meantime.

"We'll meet you there." Judy said to Nick.

"Okay Carrots." He replied. The two of them waved each other goodbye as he drove off.

Nick went to the Furd Fusion and pulled on the door. It was locked. He tugged a few more times a bit more forcefully to make sure, and it ended with the same result. The door did not budge. He tried the front door but found it to be locked as well. He groaned in realization. Judy must have taken the keys with her. He pulled out his phone and tried to call his wife, but she didn't answer, and it went to voicemail. Judy had left her phone on the kitchen counter.

He could not believe this. The fox paced around in circles trying to think of a solution. "What's up?" Skye asked.

"Carrots has the keys to the Fusion."

"Well why don't we just take your other car? You have the keys to this one, right?" She suggested.

"Yeah, but that car's not working. It gave out yesterday." Nick said in a ticked of tone.

"Pfft!" Skye sounded with a wave of her paw. "It's nothing that this fox can't fix. Come on and pop the hood! Let's see what makes this baby tick!" She said in a happy tone. She hummed happily and her tail swayed as she walked to the stationwagon. Nick wiped his face in angry defeat. He slowly slumped over to the car while he thought to himself. 'This is gonna be a long mission.'


	12. Chapter 11: The Scars and Their Stories

**Chapter 11: The Scars and Their Stories**

* * *

Nick tapped his foot impatiently on the dirty asphalt of the garage. His car had given out. There was a problem with the engine that would probably take hours to fix. He had to worry about this, and not the honey badger following in his maniacal brother's philosophies that has literally made his life a living hell for the time being.

His wife was stuck with Jack. They literally were unable to be more than a foot apart from each other. She was pawcuffed to an animal he did not trust one bit, halfway across town in Sahara Square now.

But the worst part of it, he was separated from his children. His sons and daughter were separated from each other and kept miles apart on the outskirts of Zootopia to make sure they were kept safe. Yet with all the officers, agents and friends ensuring their babies' safety. The only way he felt they were truly safe was in his and his wife's arms.

"I can't believe this is happening." Nick said to himself.

Skye overheard him and came up from the engine. She wiped sweat from her face with her paw, leaving behind a black smudge on her cheek. "What's up?" She asked in a positive tone.

"I'm separated from my wife and kids and stuck here where I can't help anybody. What do you think is up?" He snickered.

"You can come help me over here with this for a second." She offered, holding a wrench out for him. Nick groaned and took the wrench from her. He followed her directions to a tee. "And I know how you feel, Nick."

"How could you possibly know how I feel?"

"Because we're both foxes, aren't we? It just seems like the world is always out to get us. We seem to be discriminated more than any other mammal. But you don't have much more to complain about, though. I can guarantee my life is much worse than yours ever was, though." Skye said with a stoic look on her face.

"Really now? And what makes you think that?" Nick asked crossing his arms.

"Because you have your wife, and your kids."

"I didn't always have that. My life has only barely turned around. I was bullied and muzzled as a kid when I wanted to follow my dreams of being a Ranger Scout. I lived in a tiny apartment with my mom and my brother. I barely got to see my mom since she was constantly working just to keep us all alive, and I never knew my father. Only recently have I met him, and he is the douchebag I had always imagined him to be. I've been homeless for most of my teenage years until I was finally old enough to rent a shit box apartment the ghetto of the ghetto. My brother ran away and decades later we meet again, only to find that he is the leader of a rebellion to try and destroy the law enforcement system, including me, my wife, and later almost my son." Nick said as he caught his breath at the end of his rant.

Skye just sat there, twiddling with a wrench. She stayed quiet for a very long time, until she finally spoke, in a broken tone. "Well at least you still have your parents..."

Nick's face fell. What did she mean? Just as he asked himself the question he answered it. She was an orphan. Nick had it hard, but he always had his mom. If he didn't he didn't know how he could have made it this far.

"Do you really think I wanted to be a mechanic, or an agent , or even a fucking fox for that matter?! I was like all other girls. I wanted to be a doctor, or a ballerina, or an astronaut. The thing I wanted to do most is be a deep sea diver. See the beauty in the world that only those who could breathe water be able to see. I never thought my life would go this way. My mom would always tell me I was special, that I was meant for something big. Something to change the world. I always believed her, but I never knew I would change it like this, nor did I think the world would change me too. My mom was a florist, and my dad worked in a car shop. A bum job for a fox looking to make money just to live. Sometimes he would take me to work to show me how cars worked. I began to fall in love with it, but it was still just a hobby, not a career choice of mine."

Skye took a break from her story to reach down and tighten a few bolts on the gasket. She wiped the sweat from her forehead a she continued.

"We never had much, but they always tried their best to give me a better life then they had. My dad had run-ins with police, and problems with money. After all, he tried to hide it, but me and mom both knew he was a gambler. He would take any risk he could take to try and win more money. But often times it only got him into more trouble. Still, they loved me. And I loved them more than anything. That was until me, her and my dad were in a car crash..."

Nick was shocked. He had no idea about that. His ears slightly drooped as he kept listening to her story.

"That's why I started learning to be a full time mechanic. To make cars better, safer, and more importantly, to figure out what went wrong that day. Their airbags should have gone off, but they never did. When the firemammals pulled me out of the wreckage and put me into the ambulance, the car exploded. Yet, there was no gas leaking or any signs of open flame. It just...happened. I never knew why it had to happen, but I know now that it was some gambler or some mammal my dad must've made a deal with. When shit hit the fan and he couldn't pay back what he owed, we went on the run. Moving in and out of hotels and apartments, living paycheck to paycheck. Obviously, the animal must have found him. His foolishness cost him his life and my mom's, and probably mine too. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Loss. A terrible feeling that wrenches the heart and pounds the soul. It leaves one an innocent, helpless creature, baffled and shivering in fear of everything they are enveloped in. An emotion one knows, but can almost never fully comprehend as something wholesome. Leaving the barren question to run infinite circles in their distraught minds: why? Why did it end up like this? Why does it make me feel this way? How can one accomplish anything, when everything seems impossible?

A tear fell down her cheek. She took a deep breath and wiped it away. "You have something to live for, Nick. And what do I have? A wild goose chase to find a mammal I'll never find."

Nick walked up and put his paw on her shoulder. "That's just it, Skye. I have something to live for, but that's only because I found a reason. You need to find your own reason to live to. In honor of your parents, for a friend...for a love."

Skye paused for a moment. She reached up and grabbed her shoulder, feeling the scar from the bullet in her fur. Nick watched her take a firm grip of her shoulder. Then he began to smell something. It was sweet. He realize that the scent was suddenly emitting from her. It was her pheromones. He looked down at her shoulder again. It all became crystal clear.

"Jack." Nick said quietly. Skye looked over at him after hearing his name. "Your reason for living is Jack. You're in love with him. He saved your life. You weren't shot directly. He jumped in front of a bullet for you."

The vixen sighed. Two more tears rolled down her cheeks. She quickly wrapped her arms around Nick. He was surprised and not sure what to do, so he just patted her on the back.

"You know what I think?" Nick asked.

"What?" Skye asked sniffling.

"I don't think the world is out to get us. I think it challenges us harder because it knows we can be more than just sly, untrustworthy animals. I mean. I don't have all bad stories. In fact, I think foxes have the best stories to tell."

"Really? What do you mean?"

Nick smiled. "Well, there was the time my best friend got me drunk and then lost my wedding rings."

Skye stopped sniffling, and instead, snorted and chuckled. "How the hell did that happen?"

Nick's trademark grin came to him. "Well..."

* * *

The night was calling for all the party animals to join in its usual celebration for anything and everything. The bars packed, clubs boomed, everything was alive in the sleeping city of Zootopia. At the bar of the Oasis Casino, sat a familiar group of friends, along with some new ones. A cheetah, a wolf, a fennec, and a red fox. Nick Wilde joined in his own celebration as he lifted his glass of coke to the sky with his friends in cheer. It was his bachelor party. He still could hardly believe it, in just a few days, he was going to make the best decision of his life, and marry the most beautiful bunny in the world. Too bad he wasn't spending this time with Judy, but he couldn't deny he was having a ton of fun with Finnick and the others right now.

The fennec turned to his friend as he took another shot. "Come on, man, just have a few drinks with us." Nick brushed off the request with the wave of his paw.

"No Finnick, I already told you I don't drink. You know that."

"Can't you break tradition even once? Lighten up a bit, it'll be fun. The first one is on me?" This time, Nick did not reply. He gave a small pout and faced the facts that Nick was a stubborn fox. "Alright, alright. Since you're gonna be a fru fru about this, how about a virgin berry margarita? It's alcohol free."

Nick contemplated the idea for a second and turned to peer pressure. 'Eh, what could go wrong' he told himself. "Alright, I'll have one."

Finnick scoots off the booth and heads to the bar to place his order, only that shifty fennec did just one thing differently; he did not order it virgin. 'This is for his own good,' be thought bringing the drink to Nick.

The fox takes a sip. The good thing about margaritas is that they do not have the same bitter taste of alcohol which Nick hated, so he downed the entire thing. Clawhauser and his officer friends were quite surprised at this. Nick wipes his lips of the sugar and gives a smirk. "Not bad. Any other non-alcoholic drinks I should know about?"

Finnick gave a mischievous smile. "You bet."

Finnick slipped more and more alcohol into Nick's system behind the tastes of fruit and juice. He felt his world grow lighter, and Nick grew more and more optimistic as the alcohol set in. When he was sure he was tipsy enough, Finnick even did a drink with more, stronger alcohol. Nick didn't know it, but he was becoming more and more intoxicated, and he was loving the sensation.

Eventually, the alcohol began taking over, and it soon messed with the fox's stomach. He ran to the bathroom to vomit, stumbling plenty more than once on the way. As he emptied the contents of his stomach, Nick's world grew dark and fuzzy. His head pounded like a drum, and he blacked out.

Nick woke up in his bed in a terrible daze, the world still spun, and his vision was still blurred. He stumbled to the bathroom to asses what happened last night. He rubs his eyes to see the ink of black marker stained his fur in words like 'party animal' and such. Nick then stumbles into the kitchen to get some water, walking was impossibly difficult. At one point he considered crawling to the kitchen. As he reaches into the cupboard for a glass, his attention focuses on a folded piece of paper with a few pills in front of it.

Nick picks up the paper and squints his eyes as he reads the message, written in a familiar cheetah's paw.

 _"Hey Nick, it's Clawhauser. In case you're wondering how you got home, I drove you back to your house. We went to check on you and found you passed out on the bathroom floor. Those pills should help with headaches or any pain. Hope you're okay, and hope you get better soon. -Clawhauser"_

Nick was distraught as he popped the pills in his mouth. He feels his leg vibrate, and pulls out his phone to see a text from his very untrustworthy fennec friend.

 _"Hey_ _man. That was one hell of a party last night. I'll admit though, I may have slipped a little bit of alcohol into your drink last night, but you were having so much more fun when I did. We should party like that again soon!"_

Nick groaned, knowing that Finnick was lying. He knew he must have slipped alcohol into every drink he recieved after offering him one alcohol free as a cover-up. The fox went back to lie down in bed, trying to get over his very first hangover. He chuckled just a little bit as he fell asleep. Only his best fox could get his non-alcoholic friend drunk on his bachelor party. Boy was he glad he didn't agree to go to the clubs.

* * *

The afternoon started simple as usual for the fennec fox. Wake up, drive to the coffee shop and burrito stand, play guitar like nobody's business. However, this time, it was with the addition of a slight headache from his hangover. Nick Wilde's bachelor party was quite a ride last night. Finnick still mischievously chuckled to himself about how he got his "alcohol virgin" of a friend completely wasted.

On the other side of town, out of bed crawled a red fox with shaky feet and a pounding migraine. Nick tried to recollect what happened last night at his bachelor party, and groaned as his question was answered as he checked his phone to see a text message from his best friend. Nick crawled back into bed after taking some medication, but he knew he had to get ready for work. As he and Judy agreed to not see until their wedding to make their special moment even more special, they agreed to not even be partnered up until after the wedding. Nick wondered who he'd be teamed up with for the day.

Nick stumbled his way into the briefing room. Judy already showed up early to be partnered up with Fangmeyer and Grizzoli. Luckily for him, the decision was made swift. Snarloff and Wolpherd. Before they began their daily routes, Nick remembered he had something unbelievably important to do first.

Clawhauser and Finnick were getting the final things for their wedding, and Nick had to give the wedding rings to Finnick, the best fox and ring bearer. He was starting to have second thoughts about his decision, especially after little fiasco last night. Maybe he should have picked Spots instead, but he had known Finnick for years. He just rubbed his temple and tried to soothe another oncoming headache as they drove through the streets.

The hustle and bustle of Savannah Central seemed as busy as usual that day, and Finnick chatted it up with his newly found cheetah friend as they waited for their officer to arrive at the scene. Clawhauser pulled on his collar. It was really hot for an August day. Soon enough, the two catch a glimpse of a cruiser parking behind the fennec's camper van, and out comes a slightly distraught looking fox.

"Heyyy! There's the party animal! How you feelin'?" Finnick asked with a mischievous smile growing across his face.

"I feel like I'm starting to have trust issues with you again." Nick growled as he rubbed his eyes.

"Hmph. So stubborn. When did you become so stuck up about having a good time?" The fox glared at him. The fennec glared right back, not stirred by his growing impatience.

"D-did those pills I gave you help a little?" Clawhauser asked trying to break the tension.

"A little bit. Thanks for that, Spots. Never thought you would need hangover remedies like that. I never thought of you of being 'that' kind of party animal."

"Well, I can't always be Cherry Fizz and Gazelle Karaoke. Gotta spice it up every now and then." He winked. Finnick just rolled his eyes at the sappy nature of the conversation.

Nick gave a small chuckle, before snapping back to the reality of why he was here. "Alright then...here you go." Nick paused for a moment to reach into his back pocket, out of which, he pulled a small velvet box containing two of the most important things in his life. His and Judy's wedding rings. Just as Finnick was about to take hold of it, Nick pulled the box back and held his opposite finger up. "But! I swear... if you lose or ruin these, Finnick... so...help me..."

This time, Finnick was struck by his repressed anger. He gulped at the thought of taking such a massive responsibility. He knew if he lost those somehow, Nick would literally kill him. With the rings being $25,000, it was by far the most expensive purchase he had made in his life, and certainly the most important one so far. Finnick swallowed the growing knot in his throat and held his paw out as Nick slowly gave him the box.

Finnick opened it to gaze into what very well could have been the most beautiful ring he had ever seen. He really loved this bunny. Love, a concept both of them thought was just a farfetched scam for so many years. That fennec could care less about settling down while he was still in overdrive, but the same could be said differently for Nick. He was perfectly happy where his life was going in the next two days, and being best friends since elementary school, that's all Finnick ever wanted for him.

"Okay, I have to get going. See you two later." Nick said as waved goodbye before hopping back into the cruiser.

* * *

Finnick and Clawhauser walk through the main streets of Downtown Savannah Central. Bags filled their paws. The walk light began flashing its warning light. They tried to make it, but the fennec crashed into someone, sending the bags sprawling onto the floor. He rubbed his head as he sat up.

"Sorry man, I didn't see you." Finnick apologized.

"Ey why don't ya watch it next time?!"

Finnick opened his eyes in surprise. He could already tell from that tone and accent who it was. He looked to see shifty old Duke Weaselton picking himself off of the ground. They both brushed the dirt off of their clothes as they fully stood. Clawhauser helped Finnick get his bags.

"Well! If it ain't the tiny little rockstar sellout!" Weaselton snickered.

The fennec got up and brushed the dirt off his shorts. "Whatever, coyote bait. Why don't you watch yourself next time?" He said as he collected the scattered bags.

Weaselton looked at the white lace and party silverware as he scooped them back into the bags. "Whatcha doin? Shoppin' for the retirement home?"

"How about none of your goddamn business?!" He yelled. Clawhauser kicked into action and hurried Finnick with picking up. It would be best for these two not to get in a fight, especially with a pit-pocketing weasel and what the fennec had in his back pocket.

"Okay Finnick, let's just go." Clawhauser said shooing him away from Weaselton's direction. The fennec glared behind him and the weasel responded with giving him a certain finger.

* * *

The fennec and cheetah wandered the mall aimlessly looking for the last decorations and gifts. Luckily the wedding planner had most of it covered. Finnick found a nice bouquet of roses in the floral shop, while Clawhauser stuck his muzzle in every bundle to take in each new smell. He jumped up and put it on the counter. The pig rang him up. "Okay sir. $9.23 please."

Finnick reached for his wallet, but was temporarily confused to find it not there. Then his face went cold. The rings. He patted frantically up and down his clothes, searching for the box, but to no avail. He took off his black shirt, leaving his muscle shirt, and violently shook it hoping for the box to fall out.

"Shit. Shit! Shit!" He shouted. The wallet was no big deal, it was the box and the rings that were the important thing. Nick would surely kill him, let alone arrest or at least taze him in a very unwanted place if he lost those rings. What was worse though, was the thought of what Judy would do to him. "Clawhauser! You got the rings!?"

He blinked. "I thought you had them!" He began to check his pockets too. Even under the folds of his neck, but there was nothing more than a bit of frosting.

The two rushed out of the store, struggling to retrace their steps. As Finnick stepped out of the store, it hit him like a brick wall. Back where he ran into Weaselton. He had to have dropped it there. Finnick and Clawhauser raced back to the spot. By the time they got there, Clawhauser was hunched over, gasping for air. Finnick looked high and low for the rings, but there was no sign of the velvet box, anywhere.

Suddenly, the fennec's nose twitched. He caught the strong leftover stench of cologne. The same one Duke was wearing. A lightbulb lit above his head. Finnick kept his head low to the ground as he followed the scent like a wolf down the street. They cheetah followed close behind.

Once they came around the corner, that's where they saw him. Duke was giggling to himself, hunched over, hiding whatever he was looking at. It only took Finnick a small glance to see what the weasel was holding. The velvet box.

Finnick's eyes became fire, and his voice became roaring thunder. He tightened his fists and heard multiple pops as his knuckles cracked. "HEY! TOOTHPICK!"

The weasel flinched and turned his head towards the deep voice. That's when his beast eyes met a pair of sunglasses. The fox took them off and put them in his shirt pocket.

"You'd best give me those back before I break your little twig neck!" Finnick roared.

Duke reacted fast. He turned his feet and ran for it. "Come and get em', small fry!" He shouted.

They two chased after him, and Clawhauser quickly called the ZPD. They already had an officer in route. The three pushed and shoved their way through the large crowds. Finnick dodged and weaved, trying his best to shake the fennec, but he was a heat seeking missle, and his fists were going to hit his target, one way or another.

The weasel makes a turn down an alleyway, and Finnick followed suit. Clawhauser stayed on the phone with the dispatch to help the officer reach their location. Just as Duke saw his opening at the end of the alley, a police cruiser blocked off his only exit. Lights flaring and sirens wailing. He turned around, but as soon as he did, Duke 's jaw painfully met Finnick's fist.

The weasel sprawled onto the concrete ground. As his body met the asphalt, everything was carrying fell out of his pockets. A pocket knife, Finnick's wallet, and most importantly, the box. He darted for it, opened it up, and gave the largest sigh of relief. There was not a thing wrong with them.

Finnick and Clawhauser's attention was brought up to the officer, who's car door loudly slammed. Finnick saw underneath the car, and swallowed hard as he saw a long red tail round the front of the cruiser. Around to their side, came a very unamused Nick, clad in his police uniform, cuffs in paw.

Finnick stood up and backed away so Nick could do his job. He did not say a word. He didn't need to. Duke was out cold, so it would be pointless to list him his rights, and his angry scowl said a thousand words. It was scary enough to make even Chief Bogo tremble.

Nick stood up straight, crossed his arms and stated down at his friend. Finnick knew what came next. He slowly closed the box and lifted his arm towards the cop.

Clawhauser tried to break the tension with his giddy attitude. "Heh, soooooo Nick. Does Judy like roses, or-"

Nick swiped the box from Finnick's paw. "Carnations. White." That was all he said to the two of them. He picked up the weasel and tossed him into the backseat. A few seconds later, and he was gone.

The two of them looked at each other. Soon enough, they made their way back. After all the shut that had happened that day, the least they could do was get the right flowers.

* * *

Skye and Nick were back to working on the car, sharing laughs and exchanging stories of good times. "Well I think you're right, Nick. Foxes tell the best stories." She said, wiping her paws on the rag.

"Told ya."

Skye clapped her paws. "Alright! Let's see if this works." She announced. Nick grabbed the keys and walked to the driver seat.

"Ready?" Nick asked. She held her thumb up in approval. At the sight of the gesture, Nick put the keys in the ignition, and turned it over. With a few hiccups, the engine roared to life. The two of them celebrated over their hard work paying off.

Nick got out of the car and Skye shut the hood. The two gave each other a loud high five. He looked at the time and realized that it had been about four hours. "Well, that's taken care of. You want to get some food real quick?" Nick suggested.

"Sure. There should be a Bugburger around the corner." She said smiling.

The two got into the car. As Skye put her seatbelt on, Nick paused for a moment. "Skye..."

The vixen looked over at him. "Yeah?"

"Promise me one thing."

Skye turned her head. "Sure, what is it?"

"Make sure Jack knows how much you love him."

She smiled. "Aye Aye."

As Nick pulled out of the driveway, Skye reached up and felt her scar again. A scar is a visible story of our lives. Each one tells a different story. From the love, hate, and all other adventures we experience in our lives. They're souvenirs we can't pardon with. To her, it meant something different. She was not a religious type of animal, but that scar was a sign. It was her sign from above. A sign that proved she had a reason worth living. Because somebody else cares for her. That she was not alone in her life. And she swore on her life, she would not let it go to waste. Skye knew she liked Jack, and she knew he liked her. But liking was child's play. She was a grown fox, and she was ready for love.


	13. Chapter 12: The Shell of a Jack

**Chapter 12: The Shell of a Jack**

* * *

Judy took another drink of her tea as she read through the files. It was a peppermint brew with a spoon of sugar and a dash of honey. A soothing remedy, though it burned hotter than usual, slightly scalding the tip of her tongue as the liquid slid down her throat. She turned through the pages of Mr. Honey's case file.

Ex-military. Marine. Lost most of his tail to a grenade splinter. Given a purple heart and sent home to be with his wife, until she died just two years later of a heart attack. Honey was devastated by the loss. He coped with it for as long as he could, but soon enough it haunted him at every waking moment.

He began drinking to restrict himself from the heartache, and it seemed to substantially work. Until it matured into an even worse problem as he routinely drowned himself in booze. He was a junkie, and every bottle, every drop was his needle. He was a copious alcoholic. The foul liquid affecting him in a more macabre fashion. He then found his talent in gambling, earning millions. His life spiraled into darkness, and soon enough, he went from an honorable animal, to a pimp and a crime boss. Soon following in the Cleansing's visions, but with a twist. He did not want to take the police force down. He wanted to be in control of. He was a mad mammal for power, and he had the resources and money to find animals who wanted the same of the city. Liberation. Power to be given back to the citizens. No more government, just an idea of freedom from jurisdiction.

Judy lifted her head from the files for a moment and sat back in her chair. She tilted her head back with another drink of her tea, her ears hung limp against the back of the cushion. The steaming remedy did not becalm her uneasiness as much as she would have wanted to. She spun her chair half circle to see the back of her Jack's head. He was completely enveloped with the research on his computer screen.

"Find anything yet?" She asked stretching her back.

"Not of any real use."

Judy tilted her head to the dim flood lights on the ceiling, massaging the back of her neck with one paw. She groaned for a second and sat back up straight in her chair. Jack's arm hung limp over the back of his seat as he looked at the screen. They were both clearly stressed out. Him because of the nature of the case and their situation, and Judy because of her family.

Nick was halfway across the city, and her babies were scattered across Zootopia. She wanted to be there to hold her babies. Even though she knew her friends and fellow officers would not let anything happen to them, she still felt uneasy not being able to care for them herself. She was a strong-hearted and independent bunny most of the time, but being in this mess, she was a weak shell of her normal self.

"So," Judy began. Jack looked over to her. "What's the thing between you and Skye?"

He looked confused, but still kept a stern face. "What do you mean? I don't follow, Mrs. Hopps."

"Come on. You like her."

Jack scoffed as he turned back to the laptop. "Don't be silly. I was simply caught in a cross fire. There's nothing between us like that."

Judy's eyes became half-lidded. "You may be a spy, but all you boys are the same, Mr. Savage."

"Elaborate."

"Boys are like armadillos. They have hard shells, but they're soft on the inside." She said as she continued typing.

"I don't have a soft spot for anyone."

"Oh no you do, you just seem to have an extra tough shell."

Jack sighed. "Okay, yes. I like her, I have for a long time. We try to have a relationship, but it's not professional in our line of work. Are you happy now?"

She chuckled. "You do know this is the 21st Century, right? Animals won't care as much about your work partner being your life partner. I mean, look at me and Nick."

"I guess you're right."

Judy grinned as she kept typing on her laptop. "So, how long have you been together for?"

"Five years." He quickly replied.

"Wow. You've been together longer then Nick and I have. Have you ever thought of marriage?"

Jack stopped typing. Judy did the same as she looked over at him. He was just sitting there, staring down at his keyboard. It were as if she said a secret shut down code to the jackrabbit. "Yes." He said quietly. "Of course I have thought about it. There's nobody else in this world that I want to have as my partner. She's the only girl I've ever loved. She's everything I'm not. Funny, energetic, and she always has a smile on her face. Such a gorgeous smile. And her eyes. They are more beautiful than any gem I have ever seen."

Judy smiled. The description he used for her was truly that of Shakespeare. It was clear that he truly loved that vixen.

"Do you know why Skye's codename is Winter?" Before Judy could speak, Jack answered his own question. "It's because we had been partners on a tough case from summer straight into winter. We had been together for months, and we still had not found a perfect codename for her. When we went on the sting that led to his capture, Skye had grown into her winter coat. Her beige and oil stained fur had shed off, and she was then unbelieveably pure white. She had on a red silk dress that made her beautiful eyes pop even more vibrantly then ever before. The name was just fitting. It also helps that she was born in December. Her birthstone is the same beautiful color as her eyes."

"You see Judy? I do like her. I love her. I love her so much I would give my life for her."

The world stopped. Judy began to piece things together. He remembered the bullet scar in his chest, and the matching scar on Skye's shoulder.

"You both weren't shot separately. You took a bullet for her. It was just unfortunate it went through you and still hit her."

Jack for the first time with her, let out an almost unnoticeable smile. "I guess you're right. I am like an armadillo, and that I am soft on the inside."

Judy smiled back. "Wow. It's nice getting to hear you talk like an animal and not a thesaurus. Well, you've broken out of that hard shell. I think the best thing you could do now is show her how much you love her."

Suddenly, Jack went quiet again, but this time was different. Judy knew the look on his face too well. It was the face of a lightbulb going off above someone's head. "Hey Judy?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can you keep a secret for me?"

Judy was a bit perplexed. "Uhh, sure. What is it?"

"I think I have enough information to find out where we can find Honey. But first, can you come with me somewhere?"

Judy was a bit perplexed. "Well, Nick and Skye might be coming back soon, and you know how Nick is with us right no-" The bunny was interrupted by her phone making a notification sound. She pulled it up. It was a message from Nick which she quickly read. "Huh...Nevermind then. It looks like Nick and Skye are going to go to Bugburger for some food."

"That's perfect. Come on now Mrs. Hopps. You have to trust me." He said as he gently tugged her along by the cuff.

"Okay. I trust you, Jack."

Judy followed Jack out of the apartment and down to the car. He turned over the key and quickly sped off into the streets. The jackrabbit turned onto the highway and punched it for Tundratown. Judy had no idea what they were doing, or whether it had to do with the case or not. Whatever it was, it was a secret she promised to keep. And whatever it was, it was very important to Jack. The serious little armadillo was finally coming out of his shell. Finally, he was seeing the world like a regular animal again.


	14. Chapter 13: Out of the Dark

**Chapter 13: Out of the Dark**

* * *

The night loomed over the glorious city in due time, and Jack and Judy were taking a bit of a longer strollback to the car, and they both seemed to be enjoying it. It helped relieve all the stress they had been going through. The two shared stories and made jokes about their romances. Judy laughed out loud and Jack just grinned as they passed by a darkened alleyway. Nothing stood out about it to Jack. Just another alleyway like the thousands there are in Zootopia...that is... until a strong smell passed his nose. It was metallic, almost like copper. He stopped for a second and his grin faded... It was unmistakably the familiar scent of...blood.

The stench was overwhelming to the rabbit, and it was radiating from down that alleyway. He looked into it to see it dimly lit. There were a few dumpsters and trash strewn across the concrete floor. He felt a sense of malice run down his spine with a shiver.

"What is it, Jack?" She asked, but Jack didn't reply. He was too focused.

Judy then slowly followed him into the alley. Judy felt a strong sensation of caution run through her system at the sight of him becoming focused. She readied herself by unbuckling the safety strap from her tranquilizer. They stepped closer and closer to the nearby dumpster. The scent grew stronger the closer he drew. Whatever it was coming from, it was behind there. He slowly, ever so slowly walked around the dumpster...

Judy's eyes grew wide, her heart sank into her stomach, and her blood flowed ice cold through her veins. Jack, other than his eyes widening slightly, seemed to be unfazed at what laid before them.

It was a gazelle. She was dead.

Her body laid by the dumpster, piled up against the wall, barely illuminated by the flickering lights. The putrid stench of fresh blood and semen filled their nostrils as they watched the dark lake of red slowly spread across the asphalt. Her bra was torn open, and her antlers were cracked. She wore a fishnet shirt and a fairly high skirt, leaving little to the imagination. It was clear to see that she was a prostitute.

The two bunnies looked up at five predators, all dressed in nice suits and bling. Each of them wore a red band on their sleeve. Judy's eyes filled with wrath for the animals that laid before them.

"Why the hell would you do this!?" She shouted.

A tiger snickered. "That bitch has owed us money for a long time. And since she couldn't pay with money, she paid with her life, and other things."

The bunny pulled her tranquilizer out and aimed it at the tiger. "You piece of shits are gonna pay for this!"

"Oh spare me the lecture, bunny. The more of her kind dead will mean better for this city. And the same goes for you." The tiger said as he pulled a gun.

At that moment, Jack threw what looked to be a chrome ball at the tiger's feet. He stared down at it, confused, and then the ball cracked open, and smoke began to spew out of the ball. Jack took his gun and fired into the cloud of smoke. When it finally cleared. Judy saw four dead predators laying in pools of their own blood. The last one was a weasel. He was shot, but he was still alive, and in excruciating pain.

Judy was in shock. Jack walked towards the weasel, pulling her with him. The weasel tried to crawl away. He tried to pull his gun out of his holster, but Jack picked him up by the coat. He delivered to him a punch to the cheek, took the gun out of the holster, shot him in his knee, and threw it away.

He slammed the predator against the cold brick wall. "Where is Honey?" Jack asked calmly, but assertively. The weasel just spat blood into the rabbit's face. His eyes grew dark, and dilated. They almost looked like a tiger's eyes. Judy supposed this was the reason his last name was savage, because he grew primal when he was it got the weasel, was a shot from his gun in the other knee. The weasel wailed in pain. "I can keep you alive for much longer, and make you suffer much worse than you already are. So you can make this easy, or you can make this hard. Where...is Honey?"

The weasel began hyperventilating from the pain. His eyes darted in every direction. He was getting delirious from the blood loss. He knew he would have to answer to make sure it didn't get any worse. "There...there's gonna be...a meetup...at Nana's Diner...in two days..." He slowly said between strained breaths.

"Time?" Jack asked.

"11pm..."

The words faded out of the bunny's ears as she. Her mind was lost in a state of thought without thought, staring off into space. When she joined the ZPD, she never, never expected anything like this. A gazelle, in the prime of her youth, lost to the world by the paws of cold-hearted killers, wielding sharp pieces of metal with handles and twelve small capsules of brutality; three of which were lodged in her lifeless body.

Jack was a different story, for he had already seen murder in the so-called peaceful streets of Zootopia. He already knew full well what this city can do to animals, and what those animals could do to other animals. Murder, rape, arson, torture. The government works fruitlessly to keep the city in a perfect cycle. A massive clock that only knows how to move forward with the constant future. The big shows in their important buildings with million dollar suits are the paws that keep everything moving in the direction they see fit. Every mammal is just another gear or cog spinning to keep everything in check. Authority manages the gears. Certifying that they are wound tight and well lubricated to keep things running smoothly.

Crimes are blurred by the authorities to keep the gears of society turning. Blind the working mammal to ensure the clock remains ticking. Don't inspire uprising and just let the law handle it. The government are the ones behind the door that is closed in all others' faces. They keep the clock of society jam-free, and handle those who have run out of their time, but now the clock was collapsing from the inside-out. Time waits for no mammal, but it certainly can stop at anytime, for anyone, without the slightest pinch of warning or remorse.

He let go of the weasel. He fell to the ground with a thud. He gave a few labored breaths, before he fell silent.

Displacement. That horrid feeling when something doesn't belong. Nagging the mind, taunting it. Begging to be resolved. Judy was left clueless. Often times, she would be able to figure out solutions to many different problems. And if that did not work, Nick would be her Deus Ex Machina. Her solution in a tight situation, at work or not. Everything else became irrelevant in her mind with her husband, but now, everything was blurred in her mind. Why was Judy so stumped by this case? Was it this rabbit? Jack Savage. Was it because of the concept of the mission? Was it because his lines of jurisdiction are far more stretched than hers, and that he kills bad animals for a living? Was it not just like the James Todd Case? No, no it was not. This was her being pawcuffed to a bunny with a Gang leader on the loose. This was her being districts away from each of her children. Judy felt that chill run down her spine again, only this time, it was bitter cold.

"Come on." He said. Judy did not talk. All she did was follow him back to the car. The two jumped in. Jack started the engine up, but instead of heading back to their base, he made a u-turn and went back in the direction they came. He stopped by the alley and shut off the car. The rabbit popped the trunk, and the two got out. He opened the trunk to be met with police tape, markers, and sheets. Everything that would be used at a crime scene, specifically one with dead bodies.

Jack made a call for coroners and viscera clean up specialists to come to their coordinates. He put police tape across the alley to block it off from the public. He threw the white sheets over all of the bodies, including the gazelle, but they were all quickly soaked and stained a dark crimson red. When he got everything settled, he began his walk back to the car. His cuff was tugged by Judy, not moving. He looked over at her. "Are you coming, Mrs. Hopps?" He asked.

She did not answer. She couldn't even speak at the time being. All she did was walk away from the massacre with him.

She hoisted the driver seat door open, hopped up onto the seat, and crawled over to the passenger side, staring off into space. Jack came up on her left soon after. He adjusted the pedals where he could comfortably reach and looked over to her, wearing a rather non-suiting frown.

"Are you okay, Judy?"

Judy broke from her voided gaze into her mind. "Y-yeah."

"Are you really?" Judy's gaze fell to the floor of the car. She opened her mouth, but she had no words to speak, and so she filled the void of silence with a sigh. "I know this kind of stuff can be hard, Mrs. Hopps, but this is how things go in my line of work. These animals aren't looking for you alive, and you have to understand that I pull the trigger, only so that they don't have the time to pull theirs on me. It's kill or be killed. I know it's primal, but sometimes it's the only option."

Judy just sighed. Jack tried to think of something to make her feel better. "Do you want to grab some Snarlbucks and grab some tea or something?" He asked kindly, but the bunny just shook her head.

"I just want to get back and keep working." Jack nodded and hit the gas as he merged on to the highway.

The heater slowly faded into a cold breeze as Judy turned the knob on the dash. The difference in climate was quite a substantial change going through the tunnel from Tundratown to Sahara Square. There was a large wreck on the freeway from Savannah Central straight to the desert, so the two had no other choice but to take the long way. Twenty minutes passed by like seconds, and Nick put the car in park; they had arrived.

The fox maneuvered through the room and prepared him and Skye an entire pot of coffee, accompanied with a big pawful of sweeteners and two mugs. He sat down and cracks his knuckles as he pulls the first file off the top of the stack. Looks like it was going to be a long night. As he was about take a sip, the sound of the door could be heard opening.

Nick just looked in the general direction of the door, but Skye quickly stood up, grabbed her gun, tipped over a table with nothing on it as cover and readied her weapon. Nick gave her a puzzled look. Then again, with her line of work, she needed to be ready for an imminent threat at any time.

When she saw it was Jack and Judy, she put her gun away and reset the table upright. Nick sprung from his chair and went over to his wife. "You okay, Carrots?"

"I'm alright..." She said drearily. "I'm just a bit tired, but we have work to do." Nick didn't argue with her. The four of them just simply got back to work.

* * *

The night dragged on for hours as they collected more and more details about Mr. Honey and his gang. The information the weasel gave Jack was not false. There was going to be a meeting at Nana's Diner in Savannah Central on Wednesday night.

They also learned about his thugs, and the two girls that were throwing their bodies all over him. Vinegar was apparently once a professional wrestler, but she was fired on multiple accounts of cheating and foul play. She went on to become Honey's main girl. Salt, the bunny, was a prostitute with an attitude. When a few of Honey's goons came to collect the money she owed, she came to Honey, and threw the genitals of the three predators that came for her at his feet. Honey cleared her debt in exchange that she worked for him. Nick let out a yawn, eyes closed, tongue extended, lips stretched. "Uh, man. It's been a long day, huh Carrots?...Carrots?"

Nick and Jack both looked over to see why she wasn't responding. Judy was fast asleep, curled into a little ball, head on the desk, holding her arms, ears drooped and resting softly against her back. Nick blinked, and let out a little smile accompanied with a chuckle. He quietly walked over to her. He scooted one paw under her knees, the other supported her back as he pulled her to his chest. Nick let out another chuckle as her sleeping body snuggled into his for warmth.

"Sleepyhead." He whispered. "Well, you deserve it, Carrots. It can't possibly be easy to take care of three babies, and never get a chance to sleep."

Jack stood up from his computer and walked silently with Nick. He set her down on the mattress that laid on the floor. There was a king size mattress for Nick and Judy, a queen size right next to it for Jack, and another queen for Skye. He put a blanket over her and she fell deeper into her sleep. Jack just sat on the floor next to Nick, who was watching her sleep.

"Listen...Nick..." Jack said. Nick looked over at the rabbit. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but just know that all I want is for you and your family to be safe, as well as to bring Honey into custody."

"I know, and I should really apologize for the way I've been acting. It's just been really hard to deal with everything that has been going on recently."

"Don't worry about it. Typically nobody ever trusts me. After all, I am a qualified spy for the government."

Nick extended his paw out to Jack, which he honorably shook, making up for their bitterness over the past two days.

Nick exhaled. "Well, I guess I'll head to bed too. We've got an even longer day ahead of us in two days."

"Okay." Jack said. As Nick laid down by his wife, he looked over at Skye. She had gotten out of her street clothes and was now wearing a tee shirt and a pair of shorts. She looked down at him, and Jack did something she had never seen him do before. He gave her a little smile.

Skye began to feel a little blush come on. She tried to hide it, but she smiled back. She laid down on the mattress facing away from him. She silently screamed with joy at the thought of what had just happened. Jack felt good inside. It felt nice to finally show some emotion. He just laid down and thought peaceful thoughts as he faded off to sleep.

The four of them were coming out of the darkness of themselves. They were finally working like a team, and they were ready to bring that son of a bitch, Honey to justice.


	15. Chapter 14: Inside Street Knowledge

**Chapter 14: Inside Street Knowledge**

* * *

The perfectly timed storm maneuvered over the unappealing city. Silence pervaded the air even though the rain pitter-pattered against every little object it struck. Rain is said to be the weather of sadness, casting out the blue beauty of the sky in a temporary melancholy as nature's tears begin to fall, and Skye and Nick were caught directly in its remorseful downpour. But this rain was different. It was filled with distrust, and it came at night. Two days came and went like seconds just passed. The four of them had become greatly accustomed to each others' presences. They became a team, the best damn working team in all of Zootopia, if they did say so themselves.

Their thick waterproof coats dripped stained in its presumable sorrow. Their fur grew cold as the breeze blew fiercely under their umbrella. The two turned down the alley where nobody would see them. Nick looked up at the sign. They arrived.

Nana's Diner. The pink fluorescent lights flickered on and off at a quick pace. The two foxes walked inside. Meanwhile, in a van across the street were Jack and Judy. He sat looking out the window of the driver's seat. Judy sat next to him under an umbrella, listening to Nick and Skye through the microphones hidden on them.

"You call this a sting operation?" Judy asked

"We call it survival of the fittest." Jack replied.

"Why do you call it that?"

"Because whoever is the last alive will be the one to talk."

There were only twelve animals in the dining room, not including them. Nick and Skye took their seats at the bar, trying to look inconspicuous. They grabbed menus and looked through the various options. The waitress came up to them. She wore a fifties style attire with at least twenty pins and buttons on her overall straps. The deer brought over a couple of glasses of water. She then took a pen from behind her ear and grabbed her notepad.

"What can I get you two, tonight?" She asked.

"I'll have a cricket burger and fries with a root beer." Nick said.

The deer jotted his order down. "How about you, sweetie?"

"I'll do a lettuce tarantula wrap and a strawberry shake. Extra cherries, please."

"I'll have that out for you as soon as I can." The deer said as she went to the kitchen. Nick looked around as he drank his water. He looked in the reflection of the turnstile where the order tickets were put. They were all looking their way.

Skye's ear perked at the sound of a door opening to the left of them. In her peripheral vision, she saw two more animals come out of what was presumably the bathroom. The tiger casually locked the door.

"Get ready. Things are about to get crazy." She whispered to Nick.

The animals at the booths stood up and began walking in their direction. At that time, a bear came and sat next to Skye. Nick's heart began to beat faster, filling with adrenaline.

"You two shouldn't have come here. You may have brought down James Todd, but you ain't bringing down Honey."

"What makes you say that?" Skye asked calm and politely with a smile.

The bear had a red band on his arm. It was the same in which followers of The Cleansing used to wear. He took her milkshake, pulled off all of the cherries and swiftly ate them. He then picked up the glass and licked all of the whipped cream off the top. He put the glass on the counter with a thud. Nick looked into the kitchen at the cooks and waitresses. It was clear they weren't working for Honey based on their reactions.

"Because you won't be leaving this diner, baby. We were hired by Honey to do one thing and one thing only. To bring your heads to him on a platter." He growled.

Skye's smile stayed on her face, but she was very clearly...not...happy.

"Did you just drink my milkshake?" She once again asked calmly.

"I did," the bear said. He flung back his coat to reveal a pistol, "now what're ya gonna do about it?"

There was a small pause. Then Skye spoke up. "Nick. Duck."

Before Nick could react, Skye took her glass and smashed it on the bear's face. She grabbed the pistol from his holster and flung the bear in front of her an Nick by his jacket. The animals let out rounds of bullets, all which met its mark in their partner's body. Skye readied the gun, and loked over at Nick. "Ready?" She asked calmly. He just sat there with a calm look on his face. He nodded.

"Great!"She replied and kicked the bear into the two animals in front of her. The two fell, and when the dead bear pinned them to the ground, Skye put a bullet in each of their skulls. Nick dove for cover behind one of the booths. She looked up to see a tiger aiming his gun at her. She looked up and saw a pot of coffee left there. She grabbed it and threw it at the wolf. The hot liquid scolded the wolf's face. He screamed bloody murder until she put two bullets in his chest.

Her ear perked to hear the animal behind her, and she did a spin kick, pointing the gun out of her direction. The tiger pulled the trigger, and ended up shooting another gang member in the leg. The wolf screamed as he dropped his gun and fell to the floor. Skye kicked him hard in the jaw and again in the throat. She aimed her gun and shot him in the head too.

Nick got into gear. He came out from his cover and charged the wolf in front of him. He moved the gun out of his line of fire. He punched him in the face, then grabbed his tazer and shocked him in the neck. The wolf went down, convulsing from the shock.

As Nick stood up, A hyena charged at the fox with paws around his neck. He slammed the fox into the bar counter. Nick kicked the hyena in the groin and punched him in the face. The predator stumbled backwards. He pulled out a gun, but before he could pull the trigger, two bullets went into his neck, and the hyena fell silent to the looked over to see Skye aiming her opponent's gun in his direction. "You're welcome."

She aimed the gun underneath the second tiger's chin, and pulled the trigger for him. The blood splattered across her face. The tiger fell, and suddenly the last three animals rushed the fox. The first punched her in the face, the second kicked her in the stomach, and the third picked her up and threw her into a glass display. She fell to the ground with a residing grunt.

Skye brushed the glass of her head and Nick came to her side to help her up. The three of them walked, pulled out their guns, ready to finish their job. They pointed there guns, and there came three gunshots. Nick had his eyes closed, but when he opened them. He realized he was not hurt. He looked at the predators. All three laid on the ground, dead. He looked at the front door and saw Jack holding his gun with Judy standing next to him. He had shot them through the glass.

Judy reached through and unlocked the door. The two of them ran up to them. Judy wrapped her arm around Nick.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Just a couple of bruises. I'm alright, homey."

Jack knelt down and extended his paw to help Skye all the way up. "I think you may have went a little overboard." He said with a smile, but she just shrugged.

The four of them looked into the kitchen. The waitresses and cooks slowly stood up with shock and horror on their faces. Skye went back to the bar and took her seat. She held up what was left of her glass. "Umm. Could I have another milkshake please?" She asked politely. The deer panicked and quickly mad her another shake. She came around to the front and gave her the shake over the counter, shaking like snake's tail.

Judy and Jack sat at the counter. "I'm very sorry ma'am. We didn't mean for things to get quite out of paw as that."

"Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?!" She asked in a terrified manner.

"The ZIA is working with the ZPD to shut down a crime gang, and unfortunately this diner became a battleground." Judy explained.

"The government will pay for all the damages, and a couple of paid weeks off for all of your troubles." Jack added.

The deer sighed, she was thankful that they did not, and were not going to die tonight.

Jack looked over at Skye. "Agent Winter," She didn't look at him. She just picked up her shake and finally took a drink, "you know we were supposed to question one of these preds."

Skye responded by simply pointing her thumb to the door. Nick, Jack and Judy all looked to see a wolf limping in pain from the bullet in his leg. He pathetically opened the door and tried to make a run for it. Skye put her shake back on the counter and grabbed her lettuce wrap she just got from the waitress. "Shall we finish the job, Nick?" She asked.

Nick took a bite of his burger and stood up from his seat. "Okay. I'll be back in a second, Carrots." He said with food still in his mouth.

"Okay." She replied as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

The two made their way to the door and Judy and Jack shifted in their seats.

"Well," the deer spoke up, "w-would you two like anything?"

* * *

The wolf howled in pain with every step he took to try and get away. It was futile though, ask Skye came up and kicked him in the epicenter of the bullet hole. He shrieked as he fell to the ground. He crawled backwards away from the foxes until his back hit the wall of the building parallel to the diner.

Skye walked up with a smile, knelt down, and took a large chomp out of her lettuce wrap. Three tarantula legs stuck out of her lips. The wolf kept breathing hard as she finished her bite. She used her wrap as a pointer as she looked down at him. "Do you know where Honey is?" Skye asked.

"Why the fuck should I tell you, ya stupid bitch!" He snarled through his teeth.

Skye shrugged as she turned away. She began walking in circles. "Danny Wiles." She simply said. The wolf was shocked. How did she know his name. My job requires me to do two things. One. Be the best mechanic in Zootopia. Two. I need to know everything about people. Now you see? I find ways of getting information from people without harming them." She turned to face him. "You want a bite?" She asked as she pointed at her wrap.

She saw that he was a little hungry, and considering his situation, the wolf couldn't deny. He just shrugged. "I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, it can be easy to find out information from animals. Security cameras, Social Security, Social Media is a big one." She walked forward holding out her wrap for the wolf to grab. He reached out for the food, "however," she said as she dropped the food on the asphalt just before his paw. "when I need something from animals, and they decide to call me a stupid bitch..."

The wolf leaned forward to pick up the wrap. As he did, his muzzle opened, and his tongue began to stick out slightly. Skye kneed Danny in the chin. He bit through his tongue and his skull collided with the brick behind him. He let out a muffled scream as blood began to drip out the side of his lips. "That's when I start to use force to get what I need. I could ruin you, Danny. I know more about you than you know about yourself. I can leak information that'll put your head on your own boss's hit list. Now, we can leave you here for your boss to come and wring you out to dry, or you can answer me one question... Where... is... Honey?"

Danny began trembling. He finally spilled the beans. "He's in the abandoned warehouse, in Savannah Central. Off of Yucca and Camelback Rd."

"That's on the shore of Sahara Square." Nick said. "What is with crime gangs and working at that warehouse?"

"It's because he knew he would have to move his operations somewhere else. He must have moved from whatever luxuriously expensive penthouse he had to some place the police would not think to look." She knelt down and brought his chin up with her paw. "Thank you Danny. The police will be here to get you soon." He let go and began to walk back towards the diner. Nick followed behind.

The wolf growled with rage. He breathed quickly as he snarled and pulled out a gun. Skye had already pulled out her silenced pistol. She snuck the barrel under her armpit and fired behind her. The wolf dropped the gun and grabbed at his neck where the bullet went through. Danny choked on his own blood, and collapsed in the alleyway.

The four grouped together. They left, they planned, and they prepared for all hell to break loose tomorrow. They were more than ready to catch Honey, be freed from the pawcuffs, and finally put this massive fiasco to an end.

Tomorrow... things would go back to normal.


	16. Chapter 15: Showdown By The Shore

**Chapter 15: Showdown By The Shore**

* * *

They called themselves The Cleansing.

The ZPD has been watching the massive gang for little under a year. They had thought they had discontinued their actions, but there has been a recent uprising of the group. The members had been, caused a lot of havoc for the ZPD. And now, the two best officers, partnered with the two best agents of the ZIA, have found the leader behind all the group's actions. Today, they were going to bring him down.

Jack and Judy parked on the far end of the building. The four of them climbed out and went for the trunk. They flung the door open, and opened the chest inside. Jack and Skye pulled out heavy powered machine guns, as well as a silenced pistol, plenty of ammo, and Jack grabbed a couple of smoke bombs, while Skye grabbed some grenades.

Nick and Judy grabbed a couple of pistols. They strapped on their Kevlar vests and loaded their guns. Nick looked down at his wife. She looked worried. He knelt down and leaned his head against hers. "Don't worry Carrots. We're going to get Honey, and then we're going to get to finally go home, with the triplets, and we'll finally leave all of this behind us."

The bunny smiled. "I know." He cupped her cheeks and have her a sweet kiss.

Skye smiled at the sight of it. The two of them in love. Ready to get this job finished so they could be together again. It was as if she was held prisoner, yet there were no bars between them. Instead, it was Jack.

The fox then looked at the hare, and he looked back at her. He gave a small smile. She smiled back. She wasn't the only one to have her partner back.

The four of them snuck onto the perimeter. They went for the ladder so they could sneak in from the top of the warehouse and work their way down. Jack and Judy snuck around the corner. Jack took a peek, and saw two guards. He signaled for Skye and Nick to get ready. The rabbit loaded his gun and fired two shots,one into each of their heads. The two foxes quickly ran around the corner and caught the two predators before they hit the ground. They dragged their bodies around the corner and continued onward.

A guard came around the corner, and Skye pointed her fun between his eyes. "Say cheese." She whispered before pulling the trigger. Nick grabbed his body and laid him down gently.

They found a door to the inside. Jack slowly opened it spans checked to make sure the coast was clear. The four of them followed in single file line.

They were ready to keep going when they heard a voice yelling from the top floor. "Mr. And Mrs. Wilde!" The four of them recognized the voice. It was Honey. They looked up at the pompous honey badger. "So, I guess you are all here to come and take me. Well let's see you try!"

Skye shouted right back. "You're gonna pay for all the shot you've caused Honey!"

"Now why do you look so familiar?" Honey asked. It wasn't sarcastic, it was genuine. He recognized her somewhere. It snapped in his mind. "Aaaaaah! Skye Winter, is it not?" The fox looked confused. How did he know her? "I'm surprised you're still alive. You were supposed to go up in flames in that car, along with your parents."

Skye froze and her has dropped. No, it couldn't have been... "Y-you...It was you..."

"Oh yes! Your little daddy owed me a fortune of money, and since he couldn't pay with cash, he paid for his life. An eye for an eye!" The honey badger said as he let out a maniacal laugh.

Skye grew unimaginably angry. She let out a primal roar as she pulled the trigger and shot at Honey. She clipped him on the shoulder. The animals came running their direction, guns ready. She pulled the pin on a grenade and rolled it down the hall. Five animals took their aim at the four of them, but in less than an instant were blown away by the explosion. The fox charged in. "Skye! Wait!" Jack yelled. He, Judy, and Nick charged forward. Skye shot at every animal that came towards them. She was on a rage filled killing spree. Nick and Judy backed the agents up.

It was weird for them to be shooting to kill. Never before had they had to do such a thing. But their lives depended on it. The four quickly shot their way up the stairs. S let climbed the last flight of stairs and saw Honey standing by the door leading to the roof. He was holding his shoulder in agony. Skye lifted her gun and pulled the trigger, but the gun was empty. She knew she had her last bullet in her gun, but she was saving it for a cleaner shot. He signaled for Salt and Vinegar to be his last line of defense. The two began walking towards Skye. The fox cracked her neck and walked forward too.

First came Salt. She swung a knife at her. She ducked underneath the blade and broke the bunny's wrist. She screamed bloody murder as Skye took the knife. She plunged it deep into her throat. The bunny fell to the ground dead. Vinegar gave a battle cry as she slit Skye across the cheek. She was unfazed. She grabbed the skunk and put her in a choke hold. She gasped for breath. Skye stared into his eyes with burning malice. With a swift motion of her arm, Vinegar 's neck have away with a loud snap. She let go and the skunk got the floor with a thud.

Honey ran out the door and she quickly ran after him. Jack, Judy, and Nick finally made it up the stairs to the top floor. They saw her chase after Honey. so out they went to.

The fox did not let him out of her sight. They ran up the last flight of stairs and out the last door. But as soon as she pushed the door open, Skye was hit in the face by a tiger waiting up there. The tiger hoisted her from the ground and held her in place. Honey just cackled. "Don't you get it, little girl? You're not going to kill me. You can't kill a honey badger." Skye saw a helicopter at the edge of the roof, preparing to take off. Ally received another hit to the face, and then another, and then came a bang. The tiger fell onto Skye, though she was near unconscious to even notice. " Skye!" Jack yelled as he ran through the door. Nick and Judy followed.

"I'll get her. You two stop Honey!" Nick yelled.

The two bunnies ran after the badger. The chopper had begun to take off. Jack and Judy ran at top speed, and with all their force, jumped off the roof. Jack caught a grip of a bar with his right paw. The tension on his other arm was agonizing , and the fact that the cuffs tightened even more did not help. He pulled Judy up and the two climbed into the chopper. They didn't notice that they were above the water.

The two free there guns at Honey, who was sitting calmly in the seat. "It's over Honey!"

"Yes..." He said calmly. At that moment, he held out his paw and dropped something. The realization dawned upon then and their hearts sank. It was a grenade. "So it is." Jack knelt down and quickly pushed the grenade off the chopper, bringing Judy to the ground with him. It landed in the water with a large explosion. Honey took the distraction, and shot the pilot. The helicopter spun out of control. Jack ran into Honey, and the badger quickly shoved him out of the cart. Judy hung on for dear life, and for Jack's life.

"Judy!" He shouted.

She looked down at him. He held something up. It was the key. He quickly unlocked the cuff. As it opened, it tightened one last time before completely releasing. Jack fell out first, then Judy jumped out seconds after, putting a good five hundred yards between them.

The chopper crashed on the beach. Shrapnel was flung everywhere and caught fire. The car pulled up on the sand. Skye and Nick quickly ran to the wreckage.

"Jack!?" Skye yelled.

"Carrots!?" Nick screamed. He looked at the shore to see any sign of them. At that moment, Judy emerged from the water near the edge of the boardwalk. "Carrots!" Nick shouted. He ran for the edge of the boardwalk and dove in to help his wife to shore.

Skye helped them into the beach as soon as they got close enough. Nick hugged and kissed all over his wife. "Oh thank God you're safe Carrots!" He said, almost crying.

The two rejoiced in them being able to be together again. That's when they noticed Skye. Here face was defeated as she slowly walked up to them. "Jack?" She asked somberly.

Judy looked down to see a small cut going around her wrist. Her eyes closed with even more somber news. The fox knelt down into the sand. Judy put her paw on her shoulder, and with for small words. She knew the terrible fate of Jack...

"I'm so sorry, Skye..."


	17. Chapter 16: Old Ends, New Beginnings

**Chapter 16: Old Ends, New Beginnings**

* * *

The shrapnel began to rumble. As of somebody were trapped inside trying to get out. Nick, Judy and Skye looked at the wreckage to see Honey, crawling his way out of the mess.

Site's felt with sad and angry tears as she pulled the badger out of the wrecked chopper.

She punched him again and again until her knuckles began to bleed. Once again, the honey badger just laughed. "Didn't I tell you honey baggers don't die?"

"You're really going to pay for this now! What do you think you and your stupid, crazy philosophy will get you anyway?!z The only thing that will happen is other powers will come and rip you to shreds."

"You don't get it, do you, ya stupid bitch?" He growled with a sadistic chuckle as he coughed up blood. "I don't follow James Todd's stupid philosophy bullshit. I was hired to kill you lot and pretend to follow that belief. He's the one who's faithful to this Cleansing thing."

Nick leaned over Judy's shoulder. "Who the hell is he?" He shouted.

Honey gave another chuckle. "It was your daddy. Mr. John Wilde."

Nick fell silent. He was in complete shock. His jaw dropped and his sense of logic was gone. He dropped his gun in the sand. Judy put her arm around his shoulders. Then the most confusing thing happened. He gave a tiny chuckle. The same one in which he gave Judy that day when he asked if she was afraid of him. "That makes...so much sense now."

Skye hit Honey again across the cheek with the butt of her gun. He glared up at the angry fox. "What's wrong, deary? Are you still mad about what I did to your mommy and daddy?" Skye's eyes dilated and her finger went for the trigger, but she held off for a second. Honey gasped sarcastically. "You wanna shoot me, don't you? Well, why don't you do it? Or are you too afraid to do it?"

She hit the breaking point. She snarled as she put the barrel of the gun right square in the center of his forehead. She was breathing heavily. Nick and Judy just stood there. Watching. "Oh believe me you piece of shit. I want to kill you. I want to kill you again, and again, just like I've wanted to for 16 years." She pushed the gun deeper into his head, starting a little welt. "But unlike you, I'm capable of following through with orders. You took my parents' lives, but at least you'll be rotting in prison for the rest of your's. An eye for an eye."

Skye took the gun off of his head, and brought it to her side. She turned around and walked towards Nick and Judy. At that moment, she recieved a call. The fox pressed her phone and put it on speaker.

"Yes sir?" She asked.

"Agent Winter. You have now been given new orders. Honey is to be terminated."

Nick and Judy stared at Skye. She had a blank face on. It was probably the best mission she had ever received, but she kept her complete composure. She didn't even crack a smile. She didn't want to, in memory of Jack, and all the training she had received from him. He was a great partner, and an even greater friend. Skye just took a deep breath and replied. "Yes sir."

The phone hung up. She put it back in her pocket. Mr. Honey let out another laugh, this time it was louder and almost insane. "What good'll it do ya?! You'll still be killed by John. This doesn't change a single thing!"

"No...it doesn't..." Skye said calmly with her eyes shut. "because you can't change the past...this one's for you, Jack."

Skye cocked the gun, aimed at Honey's skull, and finally shot the last bullet in her chamber. Honey's head flung back from the impact, and he fell into the sand, motionless. It was done.

It was all over now.

* * *

She had finally set out to do what she had wanted to do for so long. Her parents were avenged, and they could finally be at peace. It was a strange feeling. A sense of pride and honor, yet not in a happy tone. The only way she could describe it, was that it just felt... right. She could finally let the past that had been eating her and tormenting her go. She could finally move on with her life. Acceptance. One has to let go before letting back in, just as one needs to exhale before taking another breath. And Skye Winter had had been holding her breath for a very long time.

Now she supposed she could quit. The only reason she joined was to hopefully someday find who killed her parents and take him out. Now that she has, she thought to herself...now what? She could just quit and go back to being Zootopia's best mechanic. She could go back to what she loved. But that's not all she loved.

She loved Jack. She loved him so much, and she felt so foolish to never show him that side of her. Now, she would never get the chance to tell him. Skye dropped the gun, it fell soundly in the sand, finally empty. As police and ambulances came and coerced with Nick and Judy, she just stared at the sunset, hovering above the calm ocean, fading from white and painting the sky in a warm sherbet tone. This was why she had always wanted to be a deep sea diver. To come home from work, or rather, come up from work to see this. This beautiful display of beauty that the world always takes for granted.

"Skye?" She felt a paw on her shoulder. The vixen turned around to see Judy looking up at her. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live. I guess now I just need to find a new reason to."

The bunny gave her a hug. "Jack was a good mammal, and a hero to many. Just remember, we're always here for you."

Skye wrapped her arms around her friend, and leaned her head on hers. She felt a tear in her eye, but she would not let it fall. She would be strong, for Jack, and for her parents. "Thank you Judy."

Nick stared at the sunset. It truly was a beautiful thing, and he was grateful he had animals to share it with. He was grateful for his wife and kids, hopefully which he would finally be able to hold again tonight. He was about to turn and walk away, when he noticed something in the water, swimming towards the shore. He got a closer look. His eyes widened, then fell as he once again let out that hustler grin of his. "Skye."

The fox and bunny looked over at him. "I don't think you need to try and find a new reason to live, just yet." He said, still looking at the water.

Skye looked in the direction he was. Her eyes went were filled with joyous tears as she recognized the black suit and gray fur. She ran for the beach. Jack was alive. He stopped his swimming as he was in shallow enough water to touch the ground. He saw Skye, and a smile came out of him. A very exhausted smile, but a genuine one. She ran into the water and tackled the jack rabbit. The two stood up and let out laughs.

Skye just stared into that hare's gorgeous blue eyes. She could stare at them for hours, but she was distracted by an unbelievably strong smell of copper. She looked down. Her paws went of to her muzzle at rocket speed. His right hand was gone. He must not have escaped the cuffs in time, and they must have malfunctioned. "Oh my god Jack, your paw!" She shouted.

"Don't worry about that, Skye. For now, you're all I want to worry about." He cupped her cheek in his remaining paw and stroked her cheek. "You're all I've ever wanted to worry about. For such a long time, I've wanted to just, look at you. At the most beautiful creature in this world... I...I love you, Skye."

Skye mimicked his actions and cupped his cheek. Her smile was bigger than it ever has been before, and just like Jack, it was real. "I love you too, Jack."

Nick and Judy walked up behind them and just stared, holding each other close for the first time since Easter.

"Well, I guess it was good that I lost my right paw, otherwise this might be hard."

Skye was confused. "What would be hard?"

Jack reached into his coat pocket, and got down on one knee. He pulled out a wet, red velvet box. "I know this isn't really an ideal place to do this, but I've wanted to do this for years." He looked at his right paw, and all he saw was his coat sleeve and a lot of blood, so he just gave her the box. The fox took it from him and opened it. Inside was a beautiful ring. A princess cut diamond sat in the center, and on both sides of the diamond were two smaller blue topaz stones. Skye's birthstones.

"Skye... will you marry me?"

She took out the ring and slid it on her finger. She cupped both of her cheeks and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Of course I will marry you."

Jack and Skye just stared into each other. They leaned in, and shared a long needed, and very passionate kiss. Nick and Judy just smiled. As soon as Jack's lips left hers, the jackrabbit fell into the water. Skye chuckled as she knelt down next to him. "What? Was it that great?" She said laughing.

"Aaactually I'm getting really weary from all the blood loss. If you could help me out?"

The realization came and Skye called for some paramedics to come their way. She helped him to the shore and Nick and Judy came up to them.

Nick came over to Jack's right side and helped support him Judy was still at his side, and all four walked together up the beach. "Now that's what I call showing how much you love each other. That was something out of a story book right there." Nick said with a sly grin.

"Are you just jealous my proposal was more epic than yours?" Jack rebuttal-ed with a wink.

"Oh, you don't even have half the idea of what I went through to propose to Judy. I just have one question. When did you get that ring?" Nick asked. Skye was curious of that too. Judy just smiled.

She decided to answer the question. "Remember the day you two fixed the car and went to Bugburger? Well, Jack needed me to keep a secret. And that secret was his plan to propose to her after we finished the case. So while you two were getting food, we went to a jewelry store in Tundratown. They have the best winter stones and diamonds."

Skye was amazed. She helped him with all of this. She couldn't thank her enough for this. She couldn't believe how much this fox and bunny wanted their happiness. But then again, they had already gone through their tough times of getting engaged, and she supposed it was a bit more personal considering they were a fox and bunny too. Regardless, she was unbelievably happy, and unbelievably thankful.

Jack was put on the stretcher and put in the ambulance. Skye jumped in with the paramedics. Nick and Judy stayed behind to work things out with their coworkers. "We'll get everything sorted out, and we'll catch John." Nick said.

"Once I'm taken care of, we'll come and help you." Jack said.

"This is of personal matters. After all, he may be my father, he is not family, and we'll bring this son of a bitch down, just like James.I just want you to take care of her and yourself for right now."

Jack gave a grin. "You can count on that."

Nick's ear twitched and he heard someone coming up behind them. It was Chief Bogo. He had a grin on his face too. "Speaking of family, I'm sure you won't be too upset seeing these little ones." He said as he gestured his arm to his left.

Nick and Judy looked. The two of them smiled large as they saw Clawhauser, Fru Fru's assistant Koslov, and the Ottertons walked towards them, holding Peter, Alex and Johanna. The two of them rushed to finally hold there babies again. Nick picked up Peter, and Judy got Alex and Johanna. They laid kiss after kiss on all of them, and the five huddled together in a close group hug.

Skye smiled at the sight of them. That was genuine love right there. A happy, loving family reunited after what must have felt like an eternity without them. She saw that love unfold in the Wildes, and now she felt it as she held Jack's paw.

"Maybe we'll have that too someday." Jack said softly as he stroked the top of her paw with his thumb.

"It'll be hard though."

"Well, if we wanted to, we could always do that splicing experiment like they did, but it won't be for quite a whi-"

"Jack." She interrupted. "It still wouldn't work...because I'm completely sterile. I can't have my own kids."

Jack's ears drooped. He felt down. He never knew that, nor did anybody. It was a secret she has never told anyone until now, but he didn't let it get him down. He took a tighter grip of her paw. She looked down at him. "We'll figure it out...We always do. In the meantime, there's only one thing I want to worry about." He said with a smile.

Skye smiled and rubbed his right arm. "That goes for two of us, you little rascal." She said with a smile.

The two shared another kiss as the ambulance doors shut, and the vehicle sped off to the hospital. Judy sighed as she watched the ambulance drive out of sight."That's so romantic."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "They certainly do have a different take on romance."

"They sure do. Now, as for my romance, I'm living it right now. And I'm ready to keep living it until the end." She said with eyes half closed.

Nick smiled as he took his free paw and grabbed her waist. "Until the end."

The bunny reached up and stole a long kiss from her husband on the beach with their babies.

This was it. The end of the Honey case, but it was certainly not the end of their mission quite yet. Next came the mastermind behind Honey's paid actions. Next came John Wilde, the father of Nick and firm believer in his son, James's beliefs. Unfortunately this case was family tied, but Nick had no problem. He could barely even call him father after not knowing him for his entire life. To him, he was just another criminal, just like James, The police came and went, and Nick and Judy hitched a ride with Clawhauser to finally go back home with their family. The sun began t set further and further over the ocean. The air grew colder and colder, and the babies started to shiver, but Nick and Judy were there to keep them warm. They were ready to take on anything that would try to get between them. They were a family, and Nick was ready to protect that, even from other family. No matter what life tried to throw at them, Nick and Judy would be ready. They would always be ready.

Until the end.

* * *

 **To Be Continued in Part 2...**


End file.
